Walking Roman
by pielette
Summary: A Roswell-OTH crossover set in the OTH realm, no aliens . Max, Isabel, Michael, Lucas, and Nathan are all siblings, but they're hardly a family.
1. Prologue

I'll tell you straight up: There are a lot of chapters in this story. Some of them are extensive and others are relatively short (I stress "relatively"). So, if you're looking for light reading, clearly, this won't be your cup of tea. If you're interested in investing time to delve into something new-ish with characters you're familiar with, then take a sip of this. Think of it as more novel-like than short story-like.

Happy reading!

**1. PROLOGUE**

The photographer looked through the viewfinder of his camera. No. He wasn't satisfied. The locks on the tripod were loosened and the legs were then shortened. The photographer tightened the locks and looked through the viewfinder again. No. He was still not satisfied. What was done to the tripod was undone and this time the legs were made longer. The photographer looked through the viewfinder once more. Eh. That was a little better.

Except now the lighting was off.

"Sorry, folks," the man hurriedly apologized, but he didn't even really address the people in front of the camera.

They were a family of eleven. Two were related by association, three by marriage and the other six by blood. Five of those six were siblings; four brothers and a single sister. The sixth member being their father. There was no mother to speak of primarily because there would be four mothers, two of which were ex-wives and the other two not wives at all.

It's complicated.

While the photographer continued fiddling with the lights, the subjects waiting to be photographed fiddled with their appearances.

At the center of this small crowd sat the patriarch. He adjusted himself in his wheelchair, trying to find comfort. Looking around him, the patriarch found his children occupied by their significant others.

Standing behind their father, the only girl amongst the five siblings dusted off the slightest bit of lint from her husband's shoulder while he looked right at her. They were almost the same height. She was just an inch or two shorter. His eyes caught hers and she smiled. He reached up and wiped away the remnants of her sorrow from her cheek. Before he could take his hand away, she delicately took it into her own and kissed his palm. In return, he kissed her lips. She appreciatively smiled and then looked around curious to see if her brothers sufficed to her expectations for the perfect family portrait for which she was the one responsible for arranging. Despite her concern her brothers' needs were being taken care of.

Sitting on the chaise longue next to their father's wheelchair was the eldest child's wife. She sat relaxed, yet still proper, with her husband's hand resting on her shoulder, but after observing the photographer and deducing that the photo wasn't going to be taken anytime soon, the eldest removed his hand and grabbed the knot of his tie. All of a sudden it felt ridiculously tight. He played with the knot with one hand while his other hand tried to keep the rest of the tie tucked into his vest.

"Are you ok?"

He looked down at his wife looking up at him. "Yeah," he quickly replied.

She offered him a smile and got on her knees, but being petite, she only came eye level to the base of his neck like normal. "Need help?" she asked.

With a pensive expression on his face he casually nodded. He attentively watched his wife as she took control and shifted, adjusted and reclipped the tie to his shirt. When she was finished, she looked back into his eyes, mirroring the same soft thoughtful look on her husband's face. He took his eyes off hers and glanced toward her ear. Strands of her chestnut brown hair were out of place. So he gently took his fingers and tucked the strands behind her ear. She gave a small smile and lowered herself back down onto the couch, letting her hand slide down her husband's solid black tie. She sat back on her bottom, got back into her pose and faced the camera. Her husband placed his hand back on her shoulder.

On the opposite side of their father, the second eldest son sat on a loveseat matching the chaise his older brother's wife sat on, and sitting next to the twenty-seven year old, who grossly slouched in the chair, was his girlfriend, patiently waiting for the photographer. He sighed disapprovingly. It was probably the fifth time since the photographer started adjusting the lighting. As he stay leaning against the back of the couch, he patted his girlfriend's arm with the back of his fingers.

"Hey."

The spunky blonde glared over her shoulder at her boyfriend. She didn't know what he wanted, but she already knew that she was bothered by it. She didn't verbally respond. Her lifted eyebrows told him she was listening.

"How does my hair look?" he wondered.

Now one eyebrow lowered and the other was raised higher. "You're kidding me, right?" She looked up at his buzz cut and then rolled her eyes as she went back to looking at the camera. Now her patience was diminishing.

Behind the oldest brother, the third eldest let his hands hover over his hair. He barely let his hands touch it. He just needed to know if any hair was out of place. When he deemed his hair satisfactory from what he could feel, he gave the front portion of his sandy blond hair a little pat. His fiancée watched the crisp locks of hair bounce in place and then return back to its original position. She playfully rolled her eyes and started adjusting his lapels.

"Thank you," he smiled.

She gave his chest a little pat. "No problem."

He got on his toes for a quick second and placed a kiss on the top of her head amidst her soft auburn hair that smelled like sweet peaches and as he did, she gripped onto the lapels of his coat and glanced in his older brother's direction. When his feet were firmly placed on the ground, he found himself once again the focus of his beautiful fiancée. He smiled at her and then stared back at the camera. He held his arms around his fiancée as she looked elsewhere.

The baby of the family stared off into the distance standing in the space next to his sister and behind his second eldest brother. He stayed in the position he was set in with his arms around his new wife. She fiddled about however, tucking his collar back into his jacket and ironing out the slight wrinkles in his shirt with her hands. She was focused on the task she took upon herself but briefly glanced up at her husband and became distracted by his contemplative stare at nothing.

"Hey," she said simply. "Are you ok?"

He shook himself out of his daze and glanced down at his wife. He looked directly down at her five-foot-two frame and worked up a smile that was hardly considered a smile. "Hi."

"Hi," his wife laughed. "Are you ok?" she asked again.

He boyishly bobbed his head and gave an unpersuasive reply. "Yeah."

The young bride put on a smile that he knew she feigned. He felt pathetic for making her feel insecure at this moment but appreciated her attempt to overlook his worry and doubt. He felt more wretched when he clearly saw the hope and faith in her eyes, the hope and faith that he was lacking.

All the while, the patriarch coolly sat in his wheelchair after having found comfort. He reached inside his jacket, pulling out a small orange bottle of prescription pills. He didn't bother to look around him and his children might have glanced at the bottle in his hands but they thought nothing more of it. Their father shook out about three pills and slid one back inside the bottle. He popped the two pills into his mouth and began chewing them disgustedly. As he did, he regretfully screwed the top back onto the bottle and shoved it back into his pocket.

"All right," the photographer said, clapping his hands together. "Are we ready?"

Everyone looked at the camera and worked smiles on their faces.


	2. Reluctant Return

**2. Reluctant Return**

Back in their home on Manhattan's Upper East Side the sitting room in their bedroom had the perfect view of the vanity section of the bathroom. This perfect view was only perfect to the man who sat in his favorite chair every night. He would take a seat with a book and had the good intention of getting through at least one chapter but it wouldn't be long until something would steal his attention. From where he sat, he watched his wife in front of the mirror. Some nights she'd be dressed in a gorgeous and flattering gown as she touched up her makeup and he'd be sitting in a fine Italian suit, like he was tonight. Most nights, though, she'd be wearing a pair of his boxers and a wifebeater, brushing her teeth, while he was in his boxers just watching her move. She knew he was there. He knew she knew. They never said anything. He just watched and she just did what she did. It had to be one of the best parts of his day.

Tonight, though, Max was sitting on the side of a bed that wasn't his own, looking into the bathroom of the penthouse suite they had for the weekend. It was a different line of sight than what he was used to. He couldn't see the mirror from where he sat. At home, their sitting area was at an angle to the bathroom. He could see Liz in the mirror. He could see her glance over at him once in a while and wink and smile. Tonight he wasn't able to look into the mirror and see that. Instead, Liz turned to him and winked and smiled. She brought her attention back to the mirror and Max continued staring at her profile.

Liz wore a beautiful pleated ivory dress and stunning Jimmy Choo's, appropriate attire for the sophisticated dinner party at the family estate, a birthday celebration for the man who, today, turned 30.

"Alright," Liz pronounced with a satisfied manner. "I'm ready." She turned to her husband, bent her knees slightly and held out her arms silently asking, "How do I look?"

With a smile of approval on his face, Max nodded. "Beautiful," he told her.

The two of them gathered their things; Liz placed a stick of lip gloss, her compact, cell phone and ID into her matching clutch while Max stuffed the room key, his wallet and car keys into his pockets. He patted his chest to feel for the objects he had placed in his jacket earlier and then he gave Liz a satisfied smirk and offered his arm to her.

In front of the hotel a valet leaned against the side of a silver 1955 Porsche Spyder. Upon seeing Max and Liz Evans walk through the lobby, the young man launched himself away from the car and met the lovely couple at the doors. He humbly spoke to them and walked them to the vehicle. Five feet from the car the young man moved to lunge forward, but Max stopped him, offering to open the car door for his wife himself. While Max gave Liz a hand into the car, the valet sprinted around to the driver's side and waited for Mr. Evans. As the teenager held open the door for Max, Max held out a fifty for the teenager.

"Thank you, James," Max said without once glancing at the kid's nametag.

With his eyes wide and a smile yearning to be smiled, the young man pinched his fingers around the crisp bill. "Thank _you_, sir."

Max gave a nod and sped out of the driveway of the Bel, the premiere hotel in Tree Hill named after the hotelier's sister, Isabel. The Bel was just one hotel in a chain of them, each one differently named for important people in the owner's life. Astronomy was the title of a song by Metallica, Michael's favorite band, and thus, the moniker of the hotel in Chicago where Michael had gone to school. In Los Angeles, there was the Guard, named for Nathan's basketball position. Lucas's favorite book _The Catcher in the Rye_ was inspiration for the Rye in New York. For Liz, Max named his hotel in Paris Promesse, French for "promise." Then there was the Ruscello in Rome and then a few other hotels around the country and the world.

The hotels were the reason Max hardly ever visited Tree Hill but it was just the excuse he gave his family whenever they asked him to come home for a visit. For a while, his "reason" worked. They believed he was nurturing his empire, which, understandably, needed much attention and devotion. But then two years passed and they realized it would take a lot for Max to come home; birthdays, Thanksgiving, Christmas…They weren't enough. Eventually, Isabel and Nathan—the only two who actually spoke to him—just started asking him as a courtesy. They'd throw the question into their conversations like it was some casual comment, much like a "How's it going?" between acquaintances. Must be hard to believe considering the names of Max's hotels had significant meanings.

Max's family members were important to him and he genuinely loved them. They were family, but they weren't each other's best friends.

_Three Days Ago_

He nervously waited for the doors to open. It wasn't because he needed to pour out of the elevator and rush with desperation to the hospital. Max nervously waited for the doors to open because it was the last thing he wanted to happen. Those doors were the only thing between him and his past. They were going to open and he was going to have to escape the safety of the elevator and confront everything he had left behind five years ago.

Finally, the doors opened. The people behind Max maneuvered around him while he stood still. There was only one other person left in the elevator when the doors started to close. She used her hand to stop the doors and then used her other hand to grab Max's.

"You'll be fine," she told him, and then she tugged him out of the elevator.

They walked with her leading the way still holding his hand.

"Thank you, Liz," Max managed to say.

Liz looked over her shoulder and gave a smirk. "Anything for you."

Together they walked toward the reason for Max's overwhelming apprehension.

It was like this on the way to the airport. It was like this on the way to the plane. Same when they were landing. To the cab. To the hospital. Now.

Plain and simple: This was the last place Max wanted to be. And the reason for them being here…Frankly, the reason pissed Max off. Of course this had to happen. Of course. That son of a bitch played basketball all his life. He ran three miles every morning. It's not like he scarfed down butter and mayonnaise every chance he got. So why would this happen? Max knew why. This was God's way of pulling Max back into this life here in Tree Hill, back into this family.

Dan Scott wasn't much of a father to Max, because when Dan learned that he was going to be a father, he wasn't ready. So he decided he just wasn't going to be one, leaving Max's mother to raise Max on her own. That was fine. It was perfectly fine because they did pretty damn well. They didn't need Dan.

That was until Max was ten. Dan finally acknowledged Max as his son and took him in, but by then, Dan had already been twice married and had four other children. Thankfully, Max fit right in. He had always wanted siblings and Dan's second wife was wonderful to him, treating him like her own, just like she did with Dan's other three children. Of course things weren't perfect. There were five siblings; the relationships amongst them were all different. They weren't all buddy-buddy.

Max and Liz approached the group of four in the waiting area. Michael and Lucas sat slouched with boredom clearly strewn across their faces. Conversely, worry struck both Isabel and Nathan. The two of them couldn't keep still. They paced around the room, staring at the ground as they walked. But Isabel felt a presence in the room she hadn't felt in a long time. She looked up and then froze where she stood. Her mouth dropped open and her eyes glazed over so much so that the light reflected in the pool of tears.

"Hi," Max breathed out. He squeezed his wife's hand as if doing so produced for him reassurance and comfort.

His voice woke Michael and Lucas from their dreariness and halted Nathan in his course. They focused on the man Isabel stared at.

Sometimes none of them looked alike, but at this moment, by the expressions on the faces of the shell-shocked four, you could tell that they were siblings. They were siblings stunned by this appearance of their oldest brother.

Isabel rushed right over, nearly tackling Max with her hug. "You came," she sighed in relief.

He didn't reply back. He didn't know how to. So he just held her close.

While he waited to greet his brother, Nathan happily welcomed his only sister-in-law. "It's so great to see you, Liz!"

"You too," Liz giggled into the bear hug she received.

Then Nathan and Isabel switched places. Nathan grabbed his brother tight and Isabel gently embraced Liz. While the exchanges occurred, it was then that Michael and Lucas got to their feet and joined the others. With the two of them the greetings with Max were a little different. Michael and Lucas were feeling a sort of watered down happiness that Nathan and Isabel felt.

"How's it going, Maxwell?" Michael asked as they broke from their hug.

Max bobbed his head. "Good," he succinctly replied.

Then with Lucas, Max couldn't really look him in the eye.

"I didn't think you were going to come," Lucas decided to say.

Michael seemed to concur. "I figured we'd see you at the funeral."

"Please," Nathan said rolling his eyes. "Dan's not going to die. He's going to outlive us all."

"Did you guys make it through the reporters ok?" Isabel wondered.

Word had quickly spread that Tree Hill's mayor was admitted to the hospital. Never wanting to disclose much to the media, the media investigated on their own. As Max and Liz approached the hospital in their cab, they could see the satellites on the roofs of all the uplink vans littering the parking lot. Reporters and their camera operators ambushed Max the moment he stepped foot out of the cab. It didn't help that he was the son of he mayor, but being the famous Max Evans made things worse because instead of four or five groups of reporters and camera people from the local stations, there was at least ten, but that didn't even include the print reporters with their audio recorders shoved in Max's face. It was national news that real estate tycoon Max Evans's father and Tree Hill, North Carolina mayor was admitted to the hospital for an unidentified illness.

Max had fought his way around the cab to get to Liz's door and help her out. Once they were on their feet walking toward the hospital, Max kept his arm wrapped tightly around Liz, shielding her from the flashes and lens of the cameras, keeping the reporters at bay. This wasn't the first time Max and Liz encountered unwanted attention of photographers. Protecting Liz from the consequences of celebrity was something Max did often, often enough that Liz knew how to rest in Max's nook and get comfortable.

"Yes," Liz told her sister-in-law. "It was crazy but we got through it."

Max still remained silent. He wasn't sure of how to respond. He wasn't sure about a lot of things when it came to his brothers and sister. Hence the current moment of awkward silence creeping in as the group stood around.

Liz was familiar with this situation and she found it easily fixable if she said something, usually anything, unless it had to do with a certain subject, which unfortunately was going to be the subject of her impending inquiry, but it was the reason why they were here. "How's Dan?" she wondered, genuine concern in her tone.

Max, on the other hand, seemed to feign the concern, and he didn't do a very convincing job. It was clear that he didn't want to be here and didn't really care to know Dan's condition but he was going to hear it anyway.

"They told us that he's going to be fine," Isabel explained, "but they haven't said anything else and they won't let us see him."

But speak of the devil! Here came the nurse to tell Dan's children that it would be ok to visit him, but only one person could go in at a time and only for a couple minutes. So now the concern wasn't Dan's questionable condition. It was apparent that he was in fact going to be ok since the nurse spoke with a comforting, optimistic tone. The concern was in deciding who would be the "lucky" one to see Dan first. Since no one jumped at the chance, the majority concluded that it would go according to birth order. Max hated when they went with that route.

With much reluctance, Max followed the nurse down the corridor and toward a private hospital suite. Max looked over his shoulder at his family in the waiting area. Seeing them gave him strength to enter the room, albeit very slowly.

"Your father should come to soon," the nurse told Max, "but don't be disappointed if he doesn't."

_Oh, I won't_, Max laughed in his head. Out loud, he told the nurse "thank you" and continued standing at the foot of his father's bed just watching Dan. The nurse left Max's side and closed the door behind her.

Max couldn't even remember the last time he was alone with Dan. Come to think of it, Max probably never was. If he ever was, then he should remember this horribly anxious and uneasy feeling spinning his stomach and the hammering against his chest. He would remember these thoughts of anger and resentment. He didn't though. So this must have been the first time.

What a marvelous first time.

"I honestly don't know what to say to you," Max said with a shrug. He was aware that his audience was unconscious but he continued on anyway. "I came home because this happened to you, but I could really care less. I've stayed away for five years because…" Max didn't feel like revealing anything remotely personal to Dan regardless of his current state of unconsciousness. "…because of a number of things," Max decided to disclose. "I've been tired of hiding for a while now but my pride always prevented me from coming home and admitting what a dick I've become. I guess I got that from you. But with you having this heart attack, you've given me an excuse to come home without admitting that I'm a jerk. Thank you," Max said, sarcasm coating his words. Then he sighed heavily, looking regretfully at the ground. "Now I'm hiding behind your heart attack."

Shaking his head, Max started to pace. He crossed his arms in front of his chest to keep himself from reaching inside his jacket for his comfort. As he walked, Max kept focus on Dan, staring intently, until the door handle turned. Max gave his attention to the door and watched as the doctor entered.

"Hi," she said with a hint of cheeriness.

Max worked up a grin. "Hello."

"You must be Max."

"Yes, ma'am," Max nodded.

"It's nice to meet you," the woman said as she walked toward Dan's bedside and examined the machines next to him. "I'm Dr. Coughlin."

Max dropped his chin down for a nod of acknowledgment and then went back to intently watching an unconscious Dan.

When the doctor noticed the look of, what she thought was, concern, she stood next to Max and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "He's going to make it." She waited a beat. "The next time he might not."

Unsure of how to react, Max just looked down at the doctor, having assumed that she was waiting for him to ask her to elaborate, but Max really didn't care to know. Instead, he continued to feign concern and just looked at Dr. Coughlin with an attentive expression on his face rather than risk revealing his lack of concern, because it was certain that anyone would be able to hear it in his voice.

The doctor believed that maybe Max was just too affected to formulate words. "You father came to me a week ago presenting with chest pain, shortness of breath, heart murmurs…We ran some tests and we've been waiting for the results, but then this happened."

"Do you know what's wrong with him?" Max finally said.

"Because your father came in unexpectedly with this emergency, we rushed all the tests to find out what was exactly wrong with him and we were able to see then and there. The lab work I ran last week will just confirm what we suspect."

Max lifted his eyebrows waiting for the news.

"Your father has an enlarged heart."

Oh, inside, Max was cracking up. Dan's heart was too big.

"It has to work harder to function," Dr. Coughlin went on. "Just like with anything else, if something works too hard, it'll exhaust itself."

Dan's heart was too big and it was going to kill him. Max couldn't believe it. He would have gone his whole life thinking Dan was a Tin Man had Dan not suffered a heart attack. Now, not only did Max realize there was a heart inside Dan after all, but it was a big heart as well.

Max was about ready to thank the doctor for her help and be on his way but there was something he had to know. "Is this condition Dan has," he started, "is it something he could have passed onto my brothers and sister and me?"

"Yes." There was no hesitation from the doctor. "It's very important that you all get tested, especially Nathan. Once in a while you'll hear about an athlete—a young athlete—dying of sudden cardiac arrest. Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is more than likely the culprit."

Max hated to admit it but he had had a feeling. Dan just had to pass something on. A curse. How typical. If Dan had to suffer in life, someone close to him had to as well. Hell, it was proof that Dan was poison.

"Have you told the others?" Max wondered.

The doctor shook her head. "I wanted to wait for the labs to come in to be a hundred percent sure."

"When they do, will you please give me a call?" Max reached into his jacket, retrieved a business card, and offered it to Dr. Coughlin. "I need to know as soon as possible. I want to be the one to have to break it to my brothers and sister."

Back in the waiting room, Liz had been sitting patiently with her husband's siblings.

There are those who dread moments alone with in-laws, but for Liz and the Scott children things were frighteningly perfect. Isabel, Michael, Lucas, and Nathan adored Liz, and for Liz, Max's younger siblings were like the brothers and sister she never had but always wanted. In fact, Liz was more of a sibling to Isabel, Michael, Lucas and Nathan than Max was. I guess it would even be safe to say that they were a little happier to see Liz today.

"How's he been, Liz?"

The only way they would ever know anything about their oldest brother was to speak with Liz and get the information from her. In the beginning, just after Max left Tree Hill, a few of them would call him once in a while to see how he was doing or at least to get a "hello," you know, something family members often do with each other. It wasn't a lot to ask for, but they soon realized the only way to get even the slightest bit of information about Max was during their chats with Liz. Without hesitation, she always took their calls and was always happy to hear from them, and moreover, she tried her best to make time and give them a call every so often, something Max hardly ever did.

"He's been good," Liz told them. "He's learning Portuguese for when he goes to Sao Paolo in a couple of weeks."

"That might have helped him out when he went to Lisbon," Michael scoffed.

Liz gave a giggle. "It was because of that incident that he's learning Portuguese. So now he's going to try to learn as many languages as he can, or at least enough of each language to get by. He already knows Spanish, French, Italian, and Japanese. He's learned Arabic, Russian, German, and, I think, Norwegian. He even picked up Afrikaan."

"All seems so romantic," Lucas noted.

Locking eyes with the blond, broody brother sitting the farthest away, Liz nodded as she sent him a sympathetic smirk. It was the only way she knew how to reply to that kind of response from Lucas.

Because Liz truly knew Max and because she truly knew his siblings, she was the only one in the perfect position to really understand all of the Scott children and their relationships with each other. While Max was oblivious of Lucas's dissatisfaction concerning their brotherly love, or lack thereof, Liz could see it clear as day.

"And how about you?" Nathan asked Liz. "How have you been?"

"Good."

Despite the lack of elaboration, none of them doubted anything Liz said.

"Are you going with Max to Brazil?" Isabel wondered.

Liz took a moment to reply. "Um, not this time," she answered. "I finally have all the research I need. So now I'm in the 'putting it together' phase."

"If you ever need an editor," Lucas smiled.

"You'd be the first person I call…if I was writing the next great American novel and not an article for a science journal. I wouldn't put you through that." She returned his smile. "Thank you anyway, Luke."

For a few minutes more, they all continued to catch up. They asked about the latest adventures of Max and Liz, so Liz told them about Johannesburg, Cairo, St. Petersburg, Berlin, and Oslo. They followed up with questions about the glamorous celebrity lifestyle Max and Liz lived in New York and Los Angeles They asked about what new Broadway shows they saw and which new famous figures they met. So Liz remained cavalier as she spoke about sitting next to Maggie Gyllenhaal and Peter Sarsgaard at the opening of _Billy Elliot_. She also told them about the dinner she and Max attended, the one that Magic Johnson hosted. Liz knew how happy and excited her brothers-in-law would be to hear that. They'd be even happier to know that waiting in her and Max's hotel room were three jerseys signed by Magic.

Before they could ask her anything else, Liz was able to turn the tables on her in-laws and find out how they were doing. Isabel glowed as she spoke about the last case she won in which she was able to keep a deserving and loving family from being broken apart. When Liz asked Michael how work was, he told her about the museum he was designing and his excitement for the sustainable, environmentally-friendly and -beneficial aspects of it. Lucas revealed that when he graduated in a month, a job was waiting for him at the publication company he was currently interning at. And finally, Nathan grinned from ear to ear as he spoke about his promising future in basketball.

The conversation was so positive and optimistic. It appeared as though everything was falling into place for the Scotts. They hadn't even delved into personal lives yet but Liz was pretty sure that things were going great for all of them. So all was good for the family, except for the fact that they were all in the waiting room of a hospital because the patriarch of the family had just suffered a heart attack. They were reminded when the Max returned from Dan's room.

"How is he?" Isabel asked.

Max bobbed his head as he took Liz's hand and helped her to her feet. "He's going to be ok," he told them. "He wasn't awake yet and the doctor said he'll be here for a few more days but he'll be just fine." He looked down at his watch. "We better he go," he said to Liz.

"Go?" Nathan wondered.

"We have a plane to catch."

Nathan's eyes narrowed. "Are you kidding me?"

"You're leaving?" Isabel exclaimed.

Max knew this was the reaction he would receive. The expression of sadness on Nathan's face was what Max expected. Isabel's rage came in right on time and Michael's scoff was predictable. Max was, however, a little surprised to see Lucas disappointed.

"Dan just had a heart attack," Michael said.

"And we're here," Max replied. "I saw him. I know he's going to be ok. That's enough."

Lucas chuckled to himself. "Man, if there was any of us who was worse than Dan, you'd win hands down."

Max, and anyone really, would find great offense to that remark, and Max did, but he couldn't argue, because he realized how right Lucas was. He couldn't help it, though. Max needed to get out of here, out of the hospital, out of Tree Hill. If he stayed any longer, Max was sure that his anxiety would consume him.

"I can't believe you're doing this," Nathan said. He was going to make sure that he made Max feel guilty. "You fly in, you come here, you say your pathetic 'hello' to all of us, you see and get what you need, and then you leave for who knows how long again." Nathan shook his head in disappointment and went back to pacing like he was earlier, no for an entirely different reason. "I can't believe how selfish you are."

"Nate…" Liz sighed.

"You can't even stay for a few more days?" Isabel begged. "This sounds really horrible but Dan's heart attack came at the good time. Your birthday is in a few days and I was hoping that we would all get together at the house for a nice, formal dinner."

Liz gave her husband's arm a little tug causing him to give her his attention. Without saying a word, she asked him to reconsider. So Max took a moment to look at the people surrounding him.

If Max closed his eyes, he wouldn't be able to tell you what color his siblings' eyes were. He wouldn't be able to tell you who of the five of them was the tallest. Sad, isn't it? Yes, Max was realizing that.

"I guess it wouldn't hurt to stay."


	3. Birthday Presents

**3. Birthday Presents**

_Present_

The drive was only going to take about ten minutes. Both the Bel and Dan's home were in the wealthy part of Tree Hill. So driving through the small portion of the town was going to be quick and simple, but instead of heading down the main drag that would easily lead to Dan's gated neighborhood, Max avoided it. He was on the busy street for maybe a minute or two before getting off and heading in the opposite direction of Dan's home. Eventually he would drive over there, but Max wanted to take his time, stall as long as his wife would let him.

It wasn't easy growing up in the Scott household. I guess Max was lucky. He only spent ten years of his life living with Dan and the rest of the family. Isabel and Michael, on the other hand, were there from the beginning of their lives.

They were young then and so I don't really know how much they remember if they remember anything at all, but they were there when Dan and their mother divorced. They were there when Dan met Karen. Michael and Isabel grew to like her and came very close to loving her, but Dan didn't make things permanent, not even after Lucas was born. So it was now Isabel, Michael _and_ Lucas who were bystanders in the life Dan led. They watched as Dan met Deb. This time, Deb hung around long enough for the kids to grow to love her. Dan eventually married Deb and then the Scott brood grew larger with the addition of Nathan. A couple of years later, the family absorbed Max.

So yeah, I guess Max was lucky. He didn't have to live in a broken, repaired, broken, and then repaired again household. He didn't have to live under their selfish, overbearing, and soulless father. He didn't have to go through the tumultuousness that that whole life was was, but fortunately, even after meeting them later in life, he still managed to have a relationship with his siblings. Half of them anyway.

Isabel was about seven when she gained an older brother. She thought that she would have had to give up the power that goes along with being the oldest sibling but that definitely wasn't the case. She unknowingly held onto the power and bypassed Max's authority and continued to boss around their younger brothers. That was fine with Max, he never did feel like the quintessential oldest sibling. He was, however, treated like one.

And this is where Dan comes in. For the first ten years, Dan didn't exist to Max. He told himself that Dan was dead. So when Max was forced to live under Dan's roof and suddenly be Dan's son, Max wasn't very happy, and Dan sure as hell stepped into the father role, making things even more unbearable for Max. Dan made up for those ten years. Maybe it was regret. Maybe it was guilt. I'm not sure what it was that made Dan spin 180 but the moment Max stepped inside his home, he showered Max with love and attention, something he didn't even give to his four other children.

Say "hello" to the root of all that is wrong with the Scott family.

"Hello, Dan."

When the ten-minute drive hit the thirty-minute mark, Liz put her hand on Max's. That was enough to get him to realize that he had to stop stalling and just face reality. The night would be over soon enough.

Max had headed back onto the main drag from the deepest part of town. It had been five years since he had been on Tree Hill's streets but he still knew them so well. Liz did, too. So when Max thought he was going to buy more time by driving off course, Liz got on his ass before he could even signal to turn. She understood his heavy apprehension, and she actually shared some of it, but she knew that they would have to deal with this night. It was going to be hard for both of them, for different reasons and the same reasons. They were going to get through it together, even during the moments that would make Liz's heart ache.

After driving into the sole gated community of Tree Hill for about five minutes, Max pulled into a long driveway and parked in a courtyard. He helped his wife out of the car and escorted her to the front door of his father's home. Liz rang the doorbell when all Max did was stand on the front steps. Not long after did Dan answer the door in a wheelchair. I guess seeing him confined to the chair gave Max the confidence to be the first one to speak.

"Happy birthday, son," Dan replied. With one hand still on the door, Dan used his free hand to maneuver his wheelchair out of the doorway to allow Max and Liz in. "Liz, you look beautiful."

Liz worked up a smile that only got as far as a smirk. She didn't offer him a handshake and neither did Max but that's what Dan expected.

"I didn't know they released you from the hospital."

Dan nodded. "This morning."

"How are you feeling?" Max asked. It was more of a courtesy than a concern, and Max saw it as a nice segue into another question, which would, this time, be a concern.

"Good," Dan replied with a nod and a smile on his face. "I should be—"

"Did you tell them?"

"Tell who what?"

Max looked for anyone else in earshot. Though it seemed no one was around, Max still kept his voice a little above a whisper. "Did you tell them?" He emphasized each word. He wasn't going to beat around the bush or play coy.

Confused, Liz squeezed her husband's hand to grab his attention. "Max, what's going on?"

"Dan knows what we're talking about."

So then Dan conceded. "How did you know?" he asked.

"When I went to visit you," Max began to explain, "Dr. Coughlin told me HCM was her guess. I asked her to contact me when she got the labs back and knew for sure. She called me the next day."

"But your brothers and sister don't know."

"Because I haven't told them," he reluctantly admitted.

A devilish, but proud, grin stretched across Dan's face. "Well, I just found out today and was waiting until everyone was here to tell them. What's your excuse?"

"They don't need to know."

"Yes, they do," Dan scoffed. "Nathan, especially."

"He's fine."

"No one knows that unless he gets tested. You all have to get tested."

"Tested for what?" Liz asked.

"I'll tell you about it later," Max told his wife before focusing back on his father. "They don't need to know," he repeated.

Dan came to a conclusion and bobbed his head, conveying understanding and surrender. "Ok," he told his son. "I won't tell them."

"Where are they?" Max asked. He stood with one hand stuffed in his pocket and kept the other around Liz's hand, and he looked around the room to keep away from any chance of locking eyes with Dan again. He already met his quota and he wasn't interested in overachieving.

Dan started to roll his way out of the foyer. "Look who's here," he announced.

Max kept hold of Liz's hand as he started to follow his father into the living room. Liz could feel his apprehension in his tight grip and his hesitation became more evident when he halted just before turning the corner into the room. Once the two of them were inside, Isabel, her husband Alex, Michael, Michael's girlfriend Maria, and Lucas stood up to greet them. Max exhaled sharply and calmed himself.

Despite it being a small family dinner held at Dan's home, everyone was dressed to the nines. Think opening day at the horse track without the big hats. Beautifully flowing spring dresses adorned the women while the men donned luxurious and handsome tailored suits.

Isabel approached Max first, immediately wrapping her arms around him. "I'm so happy you decided to stay," she told him. "Happy birthday."

"Thank you, Iz."

Isabel moved to greet Liz while Alex shook hands with Max. "Happy birthday," the tall, lanky man said to his brother-in-law

Max tried to stand as tall as he could but was still about three inches shorter than his sister's husband. It was clear, though, that more confidence lied in Max. "Thank you, Alex," Max said. "How have you been?"

"Good." The intimidation and uneasiness in Alex was apparent. He gave Liz a quick hug and then returned back to the couch.

Michael stepped up and offered his brother his free hand while a glass of scotch rested in the other. "Happy birthday, Maxwell." His breath stank of the liquor. "Congratulations on making it thirty years."

Max went silent but thanked his brother with a nod of appreciation.

"I'm sorry," Maria apologized as she hugged Max. "Don't mind Michael. Happy birthday."

After the two of them let go, Maria and Liz rushed to embrace each other and squeezed each other tight.

There wouldn't be a Michael and Maria if there wasn't a Maria and Liz. When Michael graduated high school, Max and Liz came home. They brought along with them Liz's best friend Maria. For two hours during Michael's graduation party, no one could find Michael or Maria. They've been together on and off ever since.

"How are things going?" Liz wondered.

"'Ok' is the only answer I can give you right now." Maria let her eyes widen, gesturing that this wasn't the time or place to catch up. "I'm so sorry I couldn't meet up with you until today. How much longer are you staying in town?"

Liz glanced over at Max to see him distracted. "Not much longer," she told Maria.

While the two girls briefed each other about the latest happenings, Max was watching his brother Lucas over at the bar. He made his way over there when Max and Liz came into the room and Max had noticed immediately. Max also noticed that while Isabel was with her husband and Michael was here with his girlfriend, Lucas was here unaccompanied.

Max stepped in Lucas's direction but stopped when Nathan and Haley rushed in.

"Hey!" Nathan cheered. He jogged to his brother and grappled him in a bear hug. "Happy birthday, man."

"Thanks." Max's laughter and voice was muffled against his brother's shoulder.

Nathan moved to hug Liz while Max greeted his brother's girlfriend with a kiss on the cheek.

"It's really nice to see you, Haley," he said.

"You too," she replied. "Nathan's so happy you decided to hang around. Happy birthday."

Max smiled appreciatively and watched as Haley made her way over to greet his brothers and sister across the room. Haley said hello to Lucas with a tight hug and kiss on the cheek. They shared a quick laugh over something and then Haley moved toward Isabel and Alex, but Max kept his eyes on Lucas who continued to remain over by the bar and hadn't yet made an attempt to come over.

"Hey," Nathan said to Max, stealing his attention. "You and I haven't had a chance to talk about this season."

"I know," Max replied apologetically. "But I watched you, Nate, every game. I'm real proud of you."

Nathan grinned, trying his best to tone down his smile. Max would never know how much his approval meant to Nathan. "Thanks, Max. Three-peat next year." He lovingly slapped his brother's arm and moved to join Haley and greet his other siblings.

"How are you doing?" Liz wondered.

Max brought his stare down to his wife. "Ok," he told her. "I think I'm ok. How about you?"

"Just fine, but um, we've had an audience this whole time." With her eyes, Liz gestured in a certain direction.

Max knew exactly who she was talking about. He looked over his shoulder and found Dan staring at them. Dan didn't even attempt to look away when his son caught him watching them. Instead, he just softened the expression on his face and hoped to get the same from his son, but Max just continued to glare at Dan for a moment, letting his father know that he wasn't having it. After that moment, Max needed his mind to be elsewhere. He grabbed his wife's hand and took a seat on one of the couches to be around his brothers and sister. Being surrounded by them was infinitely better than standing alone and watched by Dan.

As Max was sitting down Lucas caught his eye. The blond Scott had been sitting next to his best friend Haley and gave her his full attention. Still, Lucas had not acknowledged Max, not even when the older brother sat just feet away from the younger one.

To rid himself of his overbearing thoughts and insecurities, Max shook his head and tried to focus on anything else. "So…" he began. "What's new?" He had the ability to charm even the coldest of people until they swooned and he could successfully pitch proposals to the most intimidating businessmen that you would never be able to fathom, but Max had the hardest time talking to his siblings. Again, there was no one else to blame besides himself.

Lucas and Michael exchanged looks and chuckled at their older brother's attempt.

Aware of the awkward silence, which would be a natural occurrence this night, Nathan slapped his knees and stood up from the couch. "Hey, why don't we shoot some hoops?"

It was a noble and valid suggestion. It was probably the smartest thing to suggest, because the _only_ thing that the boys had in common, as far as interests go, was basketball. Their two-on-two pick-up games were a Godsend for the family. A lot of times, the boys would be on their game causing for a close and intense match. Surprisingly, those games always ended with the boys congratulating and praising each other, regardless of who won or loss. Backwards, isn't it? You'd figure that during those close games, where the intensity is so high it gets the adrenaline and testosterone going, that the boys would be most intent on winning and that that was the most important thing, but they were never competitive like that, not with each other.

When all the boys play well, it brings out a sportsmanship and camaraderie between them. They push each other in the most positive sense with the best of intentions in mind, to make each other better. If any of them left the game pissed off and a sore loser, it was because of frustration in themselves, not because the other team kicked their ass. If one brother wasn't having a good day, he wasn't going to hate on his other brothers for playing as well as they knew how. More so, he was going to take the hard time his brothers were going to give him, because they would be justified in telling him that he was better than how he was playing.

Don't get me wrong, not every game they played against each other ended "happily ever after." Once in a while one of the boys would be a little bitch, causing fights, playing sloppy, hacking and shoving. That, though, was a rarity.

If you wanted to know what helped keep the family together, it was basketball. That, and Isabel.

"Honey," Haley said as she looked straight up at Nathan. "Look at what you're wearing."

He looked at the neck tie that ran down his chest and was tucked into his waistcoat. He noticed his shiny black dress shoes that slid against pretty much any surface. "Oh," he said, sitting back down next to Haley.

While Nathan had been standing, something had caught the eye of his siblings. It caused them to examine Haley, and after an easy-to-come-to conclusion, the siblings were none too happy.

"Those are promise rings, right?" Isabel asked with a nervous laugh.

Both Nathan and Haley's eyes widened at the exact same moment and they continued to move in sync as they looked at each other and then down at each other's left hands, particularly their ring fingers.

"Yeah," Nathan quickly told his sister.

"God," Lucas scoffed. "You're a fucking horrible liar, Nate."

Nathan and Haley both closed their eyes at the same time and I'm pretty sure they were feeling the same thing, regret and embarrassment. Meanwhile, Nathan's siblings were reeling and Dan had rolled his way over to join the others in feeling disappointed and angry.

"Haley, are you pregnant?" Lucas questioned.

"No!" Her response was quick and defensive. "No, Nathan and I never even—Not before we—"

"She's not pregnant," Nathan affirmed.

Dan chuckled. "So this mistake was by your own will."

No one even bothered to acknowledge Dan.

"I can't believe you two!" Isabel exclaimed. "This has to be a joke."

She had gotten up from the couch and started pacing, her palm on her forehead. Alex had made a reach to grab his wife and bring her back down to the couch with the intention to calm and comfort her, but Isabel was just too fast. She paced back and forth, pivoting after every fourth step. During her fourth pass she nearly collided with Michael who was heading over to the bar to refresh his drink, leaving Maria to be an uncomfortable bystander in yet another Scott family debacle. Maria briefly looked over at Liz and managed to catch her eye. The two best friends exchanged "Oh my God" glances and then Maria buried her face in her hands. Liz grabbed Max's hand and leaned up against his arm. She placed her chin on his shoulder and studied the expression on his face. He was angry. She could tell as she was only inches away from his bulging jaw muscles. Understanding of Max's anger, Liz rested her head on his shoulder and just let him fume. While she watched Nathan and Haley burn red and sweat under the hot stares of everyone in the room, Liz caught a glance of Dan and realized that Max and Dan had the same livid expression on their faces. That was something she was going to keep to herself.

"Haley, you're smarter than this!" Isabel continued to rant.

Shaking his head, Lucas sighed heavily and spoke more calmly. "What were you thinking, Hales?"

Liz couldn't help but feel bad for the girl. Ten years ago, she was in Haley's position, except it was only Dan and Deb who gave her grief and not all of Max's siblings. Isabel, Michael, Lucas, and Nathan were younger then, they didn't really have an opinion about Max and Liz getting married at twenty.

Dan scoffed. "There goes your future in basketball."

"What are you talking about?" Nathan asked offended.

"_Don't_ listen to him," Lucas ordered.

Taking his brother's advice, Nathan moved on. "I don't see what the big deal is," he said. "Haley and I are happy with our decision."

"Yeah," Michael scoffed. "Happy now."

Maria sent Michael a glare

"When did this happen?" Isabel demanded to know. "How long have you been thinking about it?"

Lucas was just as curious. "Why didn't you tell me about this, Haley?"

"You guys," Alex started to plea. "Maybe we should ease up—"

"Stay out of this," Michael snapped.

Isabel stopped in her tracks. "Don't talk to him like that."

"He has no say in this."

"Michael, calm down," Lucas said.

Nathan shook his head in disbelief. "Everyone just shut up. We thought this through," he told them all. "It was going to happen sooner or later, why not sooner?"

"Because you're going to end up—" Max froze still and interrupted. It wasn't because he was about to make a revelation that would cause as much commotion as Haley and Nathan's, it was because something—someone had distracted him.

All eyes were on Max when he stood up and began to finally have a say. They continued to watch him for a slight second while he went speechless and until they realized he was sidetracked. Everyone followed his stare pointed at the foyer and found Brooke standing surprised that she was the center of attention.

"Hi," she laughed. She had a nervous smile on her face as she waved.

Lucas jumped to his feet and rushed over to Brooke while Max's heart dropped. He sank back down onto the couch. This time, Liz didn't grab a hold of his hand or bother to make any sort of contact with him, but she did watch him as he observed Lucas and Brooke.

"You couldn't have come at a better time," Max heard Lucas say, then he witnessed his brother plant a kiss on Brooke's lips.

"What's going on?" she wondered.

"Nathan and I got married," Haley answered as if it were no big deal. She was just over the whole ordeal and wanted to move on.

Brooke's jaw dropped and her eyes opened nearly as wide as her mouth. "Shut up!" She rushed over to Haley and grabbed her hand to see the evidence of a marriage. Afterward, Brooke dropped Haley's hand in order to give her a tight hug.

"That's it." Nathan stood up and addressed the room. "For now, everyone just get over the fact that Haley and I are married. It's Max's birthday today and we're finally lucky enough to be with him to celebrate it." He reached into his vest and pulled out an envelope. "Here," he said, handing his brother the envelope. "Happy birthday."

Everyone settled down. Dan wheeled himself to be in a better position to watch Max open gifts. Isabel finally took her seat next to her husband. Michael stood behind the couch where Maria sat with a full glass of scotch in his hand. Lucas wrapped his arm around Brooke's waist and led her over to the couch across from Max and Liz, and Liz put on a smile as Max received his first present.

With an appreciative smirk on his face, Max took the envelope from Nathan's hand and began to open it. "Thank you," he replied. "Lakers-Knicks tickets," he announced after observing the slips of paper in the envelope. His smirk turned into a happy grin. "Thank you, guys."

Nathan gave a noble nod and sat back down next to his wife, wrapping a comforting arm around her.

"Michael, where's Max's present?" Maria asked.

Michael reluctantly bent down and grabbed a rectangular box from behind the couch. Rather than walk to Max and give him the present, Michael tapped the side of Maria's arm with the box.

"What are you doing?" It wasn't that late into the night and already she was irritated by him. "Just give it to him."

But Michael remained silent and continued to hold the box out in front of his girlfriend.

Absolutely hesitant and frustrated, Maria snatched the present and handed it over to Max. "Happy birthday," she said.

"Thank you," Max chuckled. He undid the ribbon around the box, freeing the lid and revealing a bottle of wine. "Taylor's 30 year old Tawny Port. Very appropriate. Thank you."

"It's drinkable now, but it's supposed to be best in seven years," Maria informed him.

"No, this one's going in my special collection cabinet in the cellar when we go back home," Max smiled.

Isabel clapped her hands twice in glee. With the exception of the pink elephant in the room that was Nathan and Haley's marriage, things were going considerably nice. "Who's next?" she wondered.

"Why don't you go?" Michael suggested.

"Our gift isn't here yet."

Nathan looked to their father in his wheelchair. "Dan?"

"I'd like to give my gift to Max privately," he replied.

Of course, Max wasn't especially looking forward to that.

"Lucas, you're up," Isabel deduced.

Max and Lucas never were the closest of the brothers. In fact, an outsider might think the two of them kind of resented each other. Yet Max was yearning to make some sort of contact with Lucas since up to this moment there was no communication of any kind between the two of them.

Lucas walked out of the room and returned with a nicely square box in his hands. He leaned over the coffee table where Max met him halfway. "It was hard to figure out what to get you since you have everything already," he nervously laughed, "but I hope you like it. Happy birthday, Max."

Surprisingly, Max was taken aback by Lucas's sincerity. By the way things had been up to this point, Max was expecting more coldness but to his surprise and delight, it was the exact opposite. "Thank you, Luke," he replied, hoping he was coming off as genuine as his brother did. Max pulled off the wrapping paper revealing a plain cardboard box. He lifted the lid.

"A little basketball?" Liz said as she peered into the box.

Max pulled out the worn orange ball that rested comfortably in his palm. His eyes were narrowed as he stared at it in fascination, observing it keenly.

Maria shook her head. "I don't get it."

"Twenty years ago," Lucas began to explain, "when Max came into this family—"

"Lucas handed me this ball," Max finished. He looked over at his brother and gave him an appreciative and flattered smirk. "It was the first thing he did when we met."

Innocent, warm smiles stretched across the girls' faces, Alex's too, while the rest of the men looked regretfully at their hands or the spot between their feet as Max continued to study the ball. The feeling of it in his hand was the same feeling twenty years ago and suddenly he was thinking back to when he was ten.

Max had always known that he had brothers and a sister. Tree Hill wasn't the smallest of small towns but it was small enough that you couldn't hide from truth. He never met his siblings, though, until that day he moved in to the Scott home but never really into the family.

It was very much like being the new kid in school. There were the kids that welcomed you. In this case, Isabel represented that group. Some kids know right off the bat that they aren't going to like you, i.e. Michael. On the other side, there are your feelings as the new kid. There are those that you like because of their kindness—Isabel. You always know that you're just not going to get along with some kids. Max saw that in Michael. Other kids you know you want to hang out with. Even though Nathan was just a baby then that's who Max sought out. And then there are kids that are just acquaintances, maybe sometimes you don't like them, but they always end up surprising you in impressing ways, and eventually, you realize that the reason you keep them at distance is because, actually, they're _just_ like you.

"Lucas, thank you," Max said. "I love it."

He watched his younger brother sheepishly smile and bob his head, lowering his nervous stare to the ground. Lucas gained some confidence though when his girlfriend comfortingly rubbed his back and kissed his cheek. Max looked away then and focused on the server who entered the room.

"Dinner's ready," the man announced.

Everyone got to their feet while Dan was beating the pack and wheeling himself into the dining room. Max quickly gathered all of his presents and set them aside as his wife waited, her hand outstretched to him. When Max looked up, there was her hand, which he lovingly took without any hesitation. He loved that she was there for him. He loved that she knew he desperately needed her this night. He loved her graciousness and conscientiousness.

Once Max and Liz entered the dining room, they deduced the locations of their seats. Four chairs lined one side of the long table and were occupied by Isabel, Alex, Maria, and Michael. At the head of the table, Dan tried his best to get comfortable. Sitting on Dan's other side and across from Michael was Nathan, then Haley across from Maria, Lucas across from Alex, and across from Isabel, Brooke, and next to Brooke an empty chair and then another empty chair at the other end of the table.

Both Max and Liz reluctantly took their seats.


	4. Family Dinner

**4. Family Dinner**

"Max, Liz tells us you're going to Brazil."

With a nod, he replied, "In June."

"And then?"

"I'll be in Los Angeles for a while."

And that was probably the most that Max said at the dinner table. Conversations on the side became the interaction of choice when it looked like one large family conversation wasn't going to happen thanks to Max's aloofness. So at different points during the dinner, people spoke to their respective partners; Max aside, siblings exchanged banter; and friends would talk amongst friends. Nathan tried to discuss basketball with Alex while Isabel and Brooke chatted about fashion. Liz asked Lucas about school and work, and Maria and Haley were sharing stories and recent experiences concerning their music.

Max just watched them all until he realized his father was doing the same. Then, Max started to study everyone's hands as they maneuvered eating utensils across bowls and plates. He tried to play a matching game and imagined that he didn't know who sat where but would figure that out by observing everyone's hands. Isabel's hands were slender and her nails were always well-manicured but always painted a neutral, soft color. Tonight they were an almost transparent peach. The next set of hands were that of Isabel's husband. No offense to Alex, but in this company his hands were the most delicate of all the men's especially compared to the Scott boys whose hands were all wide and thick from lifetimes of basketball.

Obviously Max knew his hands from his brothers and father and he knew his father's from his brothers. It was harder to tell Michael's, Lucas's, and Nathan's apart. Although, now, Nathan had a wedding band around his left ring finger, and the smaller, petite hands of the person sitting next to him wore a matching wedding ring. By close observation, Max noticed that two people at the table had callused fingers and Max deduced that the only thing that could cause callusing like theirs was from playing guitar, something he knew Maria and Haley excelled at. Since Max was able to distinguish whose hands were Haley's, he assumed the other set of callused fingers were Maria's, especially since Haley wore a wedding ring and, even though she's been with Michael for eight years, Max knew the ring finger on Maria's left hand was still bare. So then Max was able to figure out that Michael's hands were the set next to Maria, and Max confirmed his guess by studying the middle finger of the right hand, spotting a callus created from years of sketching and drawing.

The only pair of Scott hands that were left were Lucas's. They were kind of like Max's in that they weren't callused like Michael's were and they weren't as muscular as Nathan's were. Actually, the only trait distinguishing Max's hands from Lucas's was a piece of jewelry. A thick white gold band separated Max's hands from Lucas's naked ones, and the delicate hands of the person next to Lucas's were just as bare, but the pair of hands next to Brooke had something very familiar to Max. He had spent two hours trying to pick out Liz's engagement ring more than ten years ago and another two hours searching for the perfect wedding band. They decorated Liz's left hand and sparkled like her eyes, or at least like her eyes did.

For some coincidental reason, Max wasn't the only one thinking about hands and weddings bands at the moment. The dinner plates were removed by the caterers as Maria reached across the table to gaze at Haley's wedding ring. Max observed Michael avoid the moment by staring at the ground.

"So how does it feel?" Maria wondered.

"I'm not sure," Haley laughed. "We've only been married for a day. I don't even think it's really hit me."

Maria delicately let go of Haley's hand after a kind pat. "I'm sure it's a nice feeling."

"Oh, get off it, Maria," Michael said with distaste.

His brothers and sister were taken aback by his crudeness.

"What? Haley and I are just talking."

"About marriage." Michael rolled his eyes and pounded his scotch.

Max had that uncomfortable queasy feeling of a looming uproar.

"It's something nice to talk about it," Maria replied.

A scoff and stench of scotch rushed out from Michael's mouth. "You talk about it all the time. How have you not annoyed yourself?"

His spiteful attitude enraged Isabel. "Michael!"

"It's ok, Isabel," Maria told her.

"No, Michael knows better."

But Maria still tried to defend her boyfriend. "Michael's been drinking."

"Michael's sitting right here," Michael sighed. "Look, don't get on my case. I'm not the one who's 21 and already hitched. At least, I'm waiting until I'm grown up."

"I guess I should consider myself lucky," Maria said to herself.

Meanwhile, Nathan was reacting to the dig aimed at him. "Oh, real nice, Michael."

"Hey, if you didn't want all this attention you shouldn't have gotten married."

"It's not about attention, ass."

Dan placed his fork down. "Then what is it about, Nathan? If it was about love, you could have waited."

"He's right," Isabel said.

"I can't believe you're on his side."

Lucas scoffed. "There are no sides, Nate. It's not Dan versus you and Haley."

Nathan slammed his napkin down and got to his feet. "No, it's about all of you against me and Haley."

"Nathan…" Haley grabbed her husband's hand.

"You're all ganging up on me," Nathan said. "I didn't do anything wrong. _We _didn't do anything wrong. We did what Max and Liz did ten years ago. Max, help me out."

All eyes were redirected to the end of the table where Max sat. Instead of addressing his brother, Max looked at his wife. He slid his hand across the table and placed it on top of hers. He held it tight. He held it lovingly. He looked into her eyes. He saw the sparkle. It was still there, but very faint.

Max nervously cleared his throat. "Nathan, I'm sorry," he told his brother, "but I can't back you up on this."

"But you and Liz—"

"Liz and I have separated," Max revealed.

As soon as the words escaped his lips, Max squeezed Liz's hand and she squeezed back. They looked down the table at their surprised and stunned family and prepared for the field of questions they would soon received.


	5. Much Misfortune

**5. Much Misfortune**

Nathan chuckled with his crystal blue eyes narrowed in disbelief. "Wait, you're kidding, right?"

Max gave a slight shake of his head. He didn't want to have to reconfirm the truth by saying it aloud.

"Why didn't you say anything before?" Isabel asked.

"Are you really surprised he didn't tell us?" Michael scoffed. "He probably wouldn't have even told us if—"

"Michael, shut up," Maria ordered. "Liz, you never mentioned anything."

Liz's cheeks burnt red. She was clearly embarrassed by all of the attention, but Max rubbed the back of her hand with his thumb and it seemed to comfort her. "We didn't know how to tell you all," she said. "We don't even know what to tell you really."

"So wait," Lucas said. "What does this mean? 'Cause I'm looking at you two and I'm really confused."

On his way to looking at Lucas, Max glanced at Brooke who gave him a sympathetic smirk and mouthed "I'm sorry," which Max acknowledged with a subtle nod. "Liz and I have decided to get a divorce," Max said and a destructive fire started to burn inside of him.

"What happened?" Nathan asked, genuinely trying to understand.

But Max was done. He rose to his feet and placed his napkin down on the table. "I can't do this right now," he told his family. "Just accept it. Liz and I have."

Everyone at the table sat with their questions unanswered and watched as Max left the room.

"Should someone go after him?" Brooke wondered.

Alex shrugged. "Maybe he needs some time alone."

"Just give him a minute," Liz told them all.

She received nods to her suggestion and then sat on edge while she observed everyone take a moment to react. Liz watched Michael drag his hands across his tired face while Maria fought the urge to get up from her seat and rush to Liz's side. With his elbows on the table, Nathan rested his forehead against his palms, staring down at the napkin in his lap. Haley leaned her cheek against his arm and remained silent, unsure what to say, afraid of their own future. Isabel and Alex sat turned toward one another, speaking to each other quietly. Lucas appeared lost in thought, his eyes looking at every last object on the table. Liz spotted Dan intently staring at the chair where Max had been sitting. She quickly averted her eyes and landed on Brooke who stared at the doorway Max left out of.

Through her peripheral vision, Brooke could see that Liz was looking in her direction. She wasn't sure if Liz was actually looking at her. To determine that, Brooke looked to her left and, yes, she awkwardly locked eyes with Liz. Both women exchanged soft smiles and then quickly, but long enough to be polite, brought their stares to their laps.

It comes across that Max and Liz's announcement is one with devastating consequences, and it is, because with this divorce, the family wasn't just losing a sister in Liz, they were losing their only tie to Max.

Isabel, Michael, Lucas, and Nathan weren't afraid that they wouldn't hear from Liz again. Their relationships with her were strong enough to survive this divorce. They'd still call her at least once a week. They'd still answer her calls. If they were in New York, they were going to visit her. If she happened to be in North Carolina, she was going to visit them. It was just going to be different. They wouldn't be interacting as in-laws anymore. They were all just going to be friends, which was fine. It was fine, but they liked the fact that she was their sister. She wasn't going to be when she and Max divorce.

And she wasn't going to be the liaison between Max and his siblings anymore. That terrified Isabel, Michael, Lucas, and Nathan. How were they going to know if he landed safely at the location of his next business trip? Who would tell them that he was in Los Angeles this weekend or in New York that weekend? Their brother had always been just a little more than a reach away, but now…

Nathan shoved his chair out from under him and marched out of the room. Everyone watched him until he disappeared behind the wall. Afterward, they all looked back at the spots they were staring at before Nathan left; their hands, their laps, the table, the ground, the ceiling, anything but each other. But a couple of minutes later they were staring at the doorway once more.

"WHAT DO YOU WANT ME TO TELL YOU?"

It was such a forceful shout with an astonishing amount of power behind it.

Now the people at the dining table began to exchange glances, except for Isabel. She jumped to her feet and rushed to find her brothers. Lucas and Michael followed, both for different reasons. It was almost certain that Michael was just going to cause more trouble while Lucas was going to serve as a bystander, maybe he would intervene if things got out of hand, but for the most part, he wanted to be included as an observer. Everyone else figured they would do the same. Plus, they didn't want to be left in the room with Dan.

Amidst the chaos and crowd of people, Maria sought Liz and grabbed her hand. "Are you ok?" she wondered.

"Yeah," Liz nodded. "I'm going to be fine."

"I hope that's because you're emotionally stable and not because you think you're going to be receiving a nice settlement from my son."

Both Liz and Maria brought their stares down to about waist-level where they saw Dan rolling closely behind them. Rather than engage in a sparring match with Dan, the girls gave him an icy stare and picked up their pace to keep up with the crowd.

They learned early on how to deal with Dan. Despite being warned and prepped about him by their respective significant others, it wasn't near enough. Their first days were a little frightening but each girl stayed strong, and eventually, it was by experience and interaction with Dan that they learned how to rebuff and tolerate him. They were good too. Most of the time, they would just let things slide, to be the better person, but sometimes, the girls would bite back with a snide remark that had as much of a punch as Dan's quips. Poor Alex never got the hang of dealing with Dan. He struggled and eventually stopped trying. Haley had some tough days ahead of her. She still needed to thicken her skin. I think Brooke had it the easiest. She grew up just down the street from the Scotts. Her parents and theirs frequented the same country clubs and ran in the same social circle. In fact, Brooke knew Dan longer than Max did.

"I just want you to talk to me."

"I said everything that I was willing to say."

Nathan and Max were identical with the tone of their voices and the gestures they made, emphasizing their words with their arms. Both of them froze when they noticed they were joined by an audience. Nathan faced the crowd while Max shied away and turned, looking at the ground as he did.

"Hey," Nathan greeted his family. "We were just talking."

"Yeah," Michael chuckled. "We could hear that."

Max gathered himself together and started walking toward the group, directly toward his wife. "Let's go."

He grabbed her hand, but she slowly, and politely as possible, slid it out from his grasp. "We can't leave things like this."

There were many, many times when Liz demonstrated how wise she was and every time Max beamed with pride. This was the exception.

"I don't know what to tell you all," Max said, addressing his family.

People started to move into the living room and settle on the couches. Michael headed straight over to the bar but Maria stopped him from opening the scotch decanter. She handed him a can of pop instead. As she directed him away from the bar, Dan took their place and poured scotch into the glass Michael had intended for himself.

"Can you guys just talk us through things?" Isabel said.

"We did a lot of that with a therapist," Liz replied. "I don't think I can say it all out loud again."

"And neither can I," Max agreed. "Liz and I just don't want to talk about it. Not yet."

Lucas nervously cleared his throat and spoke up. "Can you at least tell us what's going to happen?"

Liz looked to Max. She gave him a comforting smile and put her hand in his. "I'm staying in New York and Max is going to move to Los Angeles."

The thought of Max moving across the country had never even crossed their minds. I mean, they always knew that Max split his time between the two coasts, but now it looked like Max was going to call California home. He was definitely going to be out of their grasp three thousand miles away.

"You don't have to tell us what happened," Nathan started, "but can you tell us when? Maybe you two haven't given it enough time."

Nathan may have been a married man but to Max he was still just his baby brother. So Max offered him a kind, soft smirk, appreciative of his brother's interest, which was an indication of his innocence and naïveté. "It's been happening for a long while, Nate."

"Just accept it," Michael sighed. "The man you look up to is a failure as a husband."

Lucas stared at him in disgust. "Man, what is your problem?"

"Oh, come on. You can't honestly tell me_ you're_ not happy that Max finally failed."

When it was clear that Michael was speaking directly to Lucas and not to everyone in general, Lucas bowed his head in embarrassment, convincing himself that he was hiding from Max.

"He sucks as a brother and son," Michael continued, this time to everyone in general, "but we still hold a candle to him. Finally we see he's not the extraordinary man we made him out to be." Clearly Michael was resentful.

Tongue in cheek, Max let his head bob and brought his stare down to the ground.

"Seriously, what is wrong with you?" Lucas wondered, shaking his head.

"Nathan needs to grow up," Michael said, continuing his mean streak. "Max has been his role model since Nathan could recognize him. All the answers Nathan needed, he always found them in Max, but now he's out of luck. Our little brother has to make this premature marriage work but he's terrified. He doesn't think he'll be able to do it because Maxwell's failed and now Nathan doesn't have his hero to turn to this time."

Fighting the urge to march across the room and punch Michael square in the face, Nathan just clenched his fists as tight as his jaw and kept them by his side. Max did the same.

"Maria, I don't know what you're still doing with him," Isabel said, staring Michael down. "What is wrong with you?" she asked her brother.

"Michael's right," Dan announced.. "I knew ten years ago Max was making a mistake but I gave him the benefit of the doubt. I'm not sorry I was right."

Lucas spat out a laugh. "Are you kidding me?! You knocked up four different women, married only two of them and failed at both of those marriages."

Dan sat unaffected.

"What do you want me to do about it, Dan?" Nathan demanded. "You want me to divorce Haley? Then I'm failing like you think Max has. You want me to stay married? Then you're just going to continue thinking this is a mistake like you did with Max's marriage. It's lose-lose with you. It always is."

"I want this marriage annulled," Dan said. "You and Haley can try again in a few—"

This time it was Isabel to express her disbelief with a loud scoff. "What difference will it make?" she asked her father.

"A lot."

"You don't know what you're talking about," Lucas said.

Dan ignored him and pushed himself toward his youngest son. "I know a thing or two, Nathan. Learn from my mistakes."

"I will," he laughed.

"Good luck," Michael said snidely.

Isabel had had enough of her brother. "I don't like the idea that Nathan's married, because he's still just a kid, but you, Michael, you're so cynical. It's like you're attacking marriage. It doesn't seem fair to Maria."

Maria gave a sigh. "You guys—"

"None of this is about us," Michael interrupted. "So don't bring us into this."

"She has a good point," Lucas observed. "You seem to have a strong attitude about it."

Brooke eyed the tension. "You guys, that's something Maria and Michael should talk about."

"Maria, I love you like a sister," Isabel told her. "I care about you. You shouldn't have to wait forever, especially not for Michael."

An appreciative smile rested on Maria's face.

Meanwhile, Michael sat with his knees nervously bouncing, his frustration wanting to escape his body. He may have had a stonewall permanently up but stonewalls can have cracks. "Are we going to do this here?" Michael asked hypothetically. "Then fine. You want me to lay it out for you? I'm not marrying Maria but I'm not breaking up with her either."

Nathan scoffed. "Talk about selfish."

"Can we not do this right now?" Maria begged.

"You want to know this is going somewhere, right?" Lucas asked her despite knowing the answer. "You deserve better."

"I'm not letting her go. She's the only good thing I've got."

"Then marry her!" Isabel exclaimed.

Michael looked at the ground. "I can't."

"Why not?"

"Because I can't provide for her," he revealed to the carpet. After a beat, Michael finally looked up and faced his family. "If this is a night for confessions…I'm broke."

Liz squinted her eyes in confusion and decided to join the conversation. "What happened to your job? I thought you were still working for Coburn & Kay."

"Me too," Maria said.

Michael stood up and put distance between himself and his girlfriend but he still gave her his attention. "I got fired," he told her.

Dan had an inkling that he knew why but he wanted to hear it. "What did you do?"

"Nice, Dan," Nathan scoffed. "Assume it was something Michael did."

Everyone brought their gaze to Michael and waited for an answer. Michael's silence and reluctance told Dan that his assumption about his son was right.

"So are you showing up to work drunk or drinking at work? Maybe both?" Dan questioned.

Heads turned from Dan to Michael.

"Don't tell me he's right," Nathan sighed.

Rather than answer his brother, Michael addressed his sister. "Are you happy now, Isabel?

His avoidance of the issue caused winces of disappointment from everyone in the room, mostly Michael's family. The others were hoping that Dan was wrong. They couldn't bear another revelation adding to the uncomfortable tension in the room. But they knew what they were getting into when they committed to their respective Scott.

"I'm sorry I'm not perfect," Michael went on, a slight slurring in his words. "I know how much of a disappointment I am to you."

Isabel's heart dropped. "Michael, I—"

"No," he interrupted. "I'm not smart like Max. I'm not sensitive like Lucas. I'm not athletic like Nathan."

All the alcohol Michael consumed seemed to have hit him at once. He stood unsteady, wobbling a bit. A few times Nathan and Lucas jumped slightly toward their older brother ready to catch him in case his legs gave way and he toppled over.

"You need to cool down," Alex suggested.

Michael stared at his only brother-in-law, studying the well-educated lean man. Even though everyone watched Michael diligently he reacted before anyone could physically take him outside.

"Everyone needs a chance to be in the hot seat tonight," he said, continuing to glare at Alex. "It's your turn."

"Michael, stop," Isabel ordered.

"No," Michael laughed. "You get on my case for not giving Maria what she deserves, what about Alex?"

Alex knew exactly what Michael was getting at but he remained silent. Maybe he should have tried to defend himself but doing so would consequently put blame on Isabel even though no one was at fault for their misfortune.

"Come on," Michael said, egging Alex on. "My sister has wanted kids ever since she could hold a baby doll in her arms."

"Michael, shut up," Isabel commanded, but there was no stopping Michael.

"I can't believe this is still going on," Haley whispered to Brooke, referring to the storm Michael caused.

Brooke agreed with a nod. She had been a spectator for most of this night. It was like watching an intriguing movie at the theater. All your thoughts and opinions stew in your mind but you concentrate all your energy on what's happening in front of you and you fall into a zone where you're silent despite the bustling activity going on in your head. You hold it in. You keep quiet. You just watch. That was Brooke at this moment.

"Lay off," Lucas told Michael.

"This is such bullshit," he exclaimed. "You all give me shit but Alex is just like me."

Nathan laughed like he would if he were just told a stupid joke. "How the hell do you figure that?" he wondered.

"We're all waiting for me to propose to Maria," Michael began to explain. "We're all waiting for Alex to give Isabel kids."

Isabel pleaded for her brother to stop while her husband sat passively beside her.

"You think we don't see your sadness," Michael said to her.

It had silenced Isabel. She turned toward her husband, grabbed his hands and held them in her lap. Alex loosened a hand to wipe the tears from Isabel's face.

"Michael, that's enough," Dan told his son.

For once in his life, Michael listened to his father.

"Christ," Michael sighed, seeing the tears in his sister's eyes. "I'm sorry, Isabel."

"You should be!" Maria said, backhanding his arm. "Look what you did!"

Lucas got up from the couch and walked across the room to his sister. On the way, he passed Michael and shoved him out of the way. "Isabel, what's wrong?" he said when he kneeled down next to her.

"We've been trying," Alex explained.

That was all he needed to say. His tone and delivery were flat and hopeless. It made Isabel tear up more while everyone else stayed where they were. They didn't want to crowd her, and if they did, they feared it would induce a breakdown. But Isabel kept everything in thanks to the comforting hands of her husband and brother.

"You saw someone about this?" Lucas asked.

Alex replied, telling him, "Many times."

"You're such an asshole," Nathan said to Michael.

"I didn't know!"

"She told you to stop," Alex growled. "You didn't listen."


	6. Fresh Air

**6. Fresh Air**

Max had walked to the bar and helped himself to the 20-year-old single malt scotch that was so popular this night. With glass in hand, Max turned around, leaned against the bar and looked around the lively living room, watching the quiet exchanges between the people who chose to be a part of this family while the people who didn't were continuing to throw words at each other.

He didn't grow up with his siblings his whole life, just ten of the thirty years he lived and breathed, but in those ten years, he got to know his siblings. Loving them was immediate. It was liking them that was the issue. They were siblings, there was that bond, but ever since leaving Tree Hill ten years ago, for Max, seeing family again was like running into acquaintances or old friends.

Max and Liz lived in New York and Los Angeles. They lived a whole different kind of life. At least once every month, they were in the air, crossing the country, the Pacific or the Atlantic. It would always be a while since Max saw any of his siblings. He rarely talked to them on a regular basis. There were no daily phone calls. There was maybe an email on birthdays and holidays. If you got a phone call, cherish it and consider yourself lucky because who knows when you'd be fortunate enough to come across another one?

So on the rare occasion when Max met up with a sibling or more than one, it always took him time to get acclimated. He was always hesitant about being alone with one or two of them. He never knew what to say to them because he never knew much about them. Well, he knew them, of course, he just never knew what was going on in their lives.

It was easier for the others to get along. They all lived relatively close. Max aside, Nathan lived the farthest in Durham, which was a mere two and a half hour drive compared to a ten hour drive from New York, and even if he was standing in the same room as them, it always felt like Max was ten hours and states away.

With an uncomfortable itch painstakingly crawling under his skin induced by all the fighting, Max took a swig of his scotch and turned around, walking through the French doors to the flower garden. The beautifully crisp Atlantic air blew against Max, cooling his face, rustling his hair and caressing his skin as it found its way through the sleeves of his jacket, taking away the itch his anxiety had caused. Max walked to the edge of the patio and leaned against the railing with glass still in hand. He looked out at the maze of flowers and then up at the clear sky.

As it always is with the city, Max never really noticed the moon and the stars because of the buildings that were in the way, because the city lights were brighter than the moon, and because Max just never thought to stop for a minute and look up.

"I know it's been a while since you've seen them, so I'll help you out. They're stars."

Max whipped around so quickly he nearly tossed his drink.

Brooke stopped staring up at the sky and watched as Max gathered his composure. "Sorry," Brooke giggled. "Didn't mean to scare you."

After catching his breath, Max licked up the spilt scotch on his fingers and downed whatever was left in his glass. He walked over to the patio furniture and took a seat. Brooke had watched every move he made wondering if maybe she had bothered him and he was trying to get away or if maybe he wanted her to join him under the canopy. Brooke just stayed where she stood and waited.

A minute or two passed and Brooke had half the mind to turn around and walk back into the house. So she started to turn, but she stopped because he finally spoke.

"Happy birthday."

Slowly Brooke faced Max. "You remembered," she smirked.

Max scoffed. "We share the same birthday but even if we didn't…"

Brooke's eyes fell to the ground as she crossed her arms in front of her chest.

"Did Lucas forget?"

"No," Brooke shook her head while she slowly strolled over to the canopy. "Lucas remembered, but not for very long. He was kind of preoccupied with this dinner, so he's going to make up for it." Then she started bobbing her head because she was understanding of Lucas's excuse. In the dark, Brooke could see Max roll his eyes. She walked under the canopy and took the seat opposite of him. "Is there a problem?" she wondered.

Max smirked as he shrugged, a skeptical response. "I don't think I'd ever forget Liz's birthday or regard any of my brothers' birthdays over hers."

"Well, it's different," Brooke replied defensively. "You live up in New York or all the way across the country in L.A., just you and Liz. We're here with your sister and brothers, and with you and your family and the way you all are, tonight was the only thing on Lucas's mind. Family means a lot to Lucas."

"And it doesn't mean a lot to me?."

Brooke sighed. She didn't want to fight with Max. "I'm just saying that tonight was a big deal for Lucas. It's been a long time since he's seen you." She sent him a soft smile. "It's been a long time since _I've_ seen you."

Max stopped staring at the glass in his hands and looked at Brooke. He met her eyes and he stared. He didn't shy away. She had captured him; first with the words she chose and her voice, and then that look in her eyes. But after a while, Max brought his gaze back down. "It's been a long time since any of them have seen me."

Discouraged that her message didn't quite get across to Max, Brooke sighed. She surrendered her attempt to connect and just agreed with Max's statement. "Yeah," she nodded, but then she shook her head in confusion. "Wait—Why is that? What's got you _so_ busy up there that you can't come and visit? Or even call to say 'hi'?"

"I'm really not ready to disclose everything that happened between Liz and me."

"I didn't ask you to disclose everything. I didn't even ask you to tell me if it had anything to do with you and Liz. So either you're the one trying to tell me something or you're just being a dick."

Max couldn't take offense to the name-calling or the much deserved attitude from Brooke. In fact, it made

him smile. The two of them always had this banter between them and because of that, there was never a dull moment. Except now, it was different. They weren't little kids or teenagers bickering with each other. They were adults with substance and intention to their words and subtext.

"I'm sorry," Max apologized. He reached into his coat pocket, something he had been aching to do since Dan answered the front door. When he felt his fingers touch cool metal, Max pulled his hand out with a silver case the size of a deck of cards resting in his grip. Max popped it open like a miniature book almost, revealing to him a row of cigarettes. He grabbed a single one and closed his lips around the filter end. He snapped his cigarette case shut and held the top edge close to the cigarette in his mouth and after pushing a button, like magic, the case produced a flame.

Brooke fiddled with the charm bracelet around her wrist while she observed him silently and intently until he finished lighting up. "I didn't know you smoked," she said.

Max quickly pulled the cigarette out of his mouth. "You don't mind, do you?"

Brooke shook her head.

Max placed the cigarette back between his lips and took a drag. Afterward, he gave the cigarette a little flick causing embers to fall to the ground. It was orange rain fading into grey earth.

"I'm just surprised," Brooke went on. "In high school, you didn't drink a drop of alcohol. You stayed away from the kids who smoked. You never touched soda or anything too sugary. You were so careful about the things you ate or drank because you said you never wanted to put anything in your body that would make you less than a 100%. Every day, you carried around a gallon of water. By the end of the day, it was always empty. "

"I played basketball in high school too, but I haven't touched one since, until tonight," Max grinned. With the cigarette right where his index and middle finger met, Max took in a deep drag and blew the smoke out of his mouth by jutting his bottom lip out to one side. He noticed the disapproving look on Brooke's face as she crossed her arms in front of her chest and rubbed her bare arms to generate some warmth. "If the smoke is bothering you, and if you're cold, you can easily go back inside. No one's keeping you out here."

"_You_ are," Brooke quickly replied.

Max lifted his eyes off his empty glass and stared at Brooke.

"It's been five years, Max. I've missed you," she blatantly admitted. Forget about subtleties. She was going to make sure he got it this time.

Swallowing hard to force the lump in his throat down, Max brought his stare down, watching the smoke float off his cigarette. He needed to stare at anything besides her and her eyes, her lips, her dimples…

Brooke cleared her throat and resparked the conversation to anything a little less heavy, sidestepping her own admission. "You know, I hate to state the obvious, but smoking is bad for your health."

Max took a deep breath with the cigarette in his mouth. "You sound like Liz," he mumbled. He blew out a stream of smoke straight to the ground as he leaned toward the fire pit between himself and Brooke. He shoved his cigarette into the stone and reached inside his pocket for his cigarette case.

"Another one?" Brooke asked, an eyebrow raised. "You just put that one out."

Max looked at her and smirked. He remained silent though and proceeded with his task. After leaning the fire pit lid against the pit itself, Max brought his silver case toward the pile of wood and ignited a flame, lighting a fire. It lit up the whole canopy as it crackled and popped. Max could see Brooke's face so clearly, and that was a slight problem for him.

"Oh," Brooke giggled. "Thank you." The urge to rub her arms disappeared.

The reply to Brooke's gratitude was a nod as Max held his hands in front of the fire.

Brooke leaned toward the fire and did the same while she watched Max stare at the bright flames. They lit up his face; his tired and troubled face. Tired and trouble because of work? Because of his personal issues? Brooke had no idea, but she wanted to know. She wouldn't ask tonight. She didn't want to pry, but the curiosity was there. A lot of curiosity was; five years worth. Brooke caught herself staring and embarrassedly brought her stare away and nervously cleared her throat. "When did you start smoking?" she wondered.

Max squinted his eyes, trying to pinpoint when. "Five years ago?" he guessed.

"I wish you would quit."

She had hardly let a second pass between the time he finished speaking and when she started as if she had no real concern for his answer and asked only to get the conversation going so that she could tell him how she felt about it, and the difference between "You should quit" and "I wish you would quit" was quite big. It warmed Max's heart to hear her say the latter.

After realizing he was smiling directly at her, Max extinguished his grin and went back to staring at the fire. "Um…" He nervously cleared his throat. "Quit?" he said to himself as if he had never considered it before, which he never did. He shook his head and chuckled. "I'll think about it."

"Good," Brooke nodded. Again, he had barely finished speaking.

Max matched her nods as he leaned back in his chair. The fire was making him a bit too warm. "And what about you? Do I need to tell you I wish you would quit something?"

With a proud smirk on her face, Brooke shook her head once.

That smirk made Max smile. He took a moment to look at her. She was the Brooke he would always know but she had grown so much in the past five years. He didn't know what it was, but it suited her, it flattered her, it made his feelings grow, and _that_ made him remember why he spent the past five years away. Max shook his head, shaking his thoughts away. He knew of only one thing that would change his train of thought.

"I was surprised when I got here and didn't see you, but then you showed up and I was relieved. I'm glad you and my brother are still together," he pronounced casually, borderline carelessly and smugly.

Brooke didn't know how to take it. She didn't really know how to respond either, but she saw Max looking at her and waiting for some sort of reply. So Brooke brought her attention to her clutch. She snapped it open, let her hand scavenge through it and then retrieved what she was searching for. Max watched her patiently but was then stunned by her actions. What Brooke had grabbed from her purse was a beautiful diamond ring, a ring that from five feet away Max could clearly see and observe. She slid it onto her left ring finger. Brooke held up the back of her hand to give Max a better look.


	7. Smoke Signals

**7. Smoke Signals**

"Oh, wow."

Max was genuinely shocked. Good shocked? Bad shocked? You couldn't really tell. The way he expressed his astonishment wasn't all that clear. It could be perceived either way. So, again, Brooke didn't know how to take it, leaving silence amongst them.

Brooke stared at her engagement ring and then curled her hand into a fist so that she couldn't see the ring anymore. The whole idea impressed Max so much that he couldn't take his eyes off of the ring. He was taken aback, but, honestly, Max shouldn't have been so surprised. Lucas and Brooke had been dating for five years. He'd known her since they were kids.

Even though his mind was reeling, Max managed to form some questions to ask and break the silence. "When did it happen?"

Brooke looked at him with wide eyes. "What?"

A simple point at her hand answered her question and then he added a few more questions. "Where did he ask you? How?"

"Oh, um. Lucas took me to The Planters Inn in Charleston last weekend. He proposed over dinner."

Max stayed silent. He didn't know how to reply. Well, he knew how. He just didn't know how he _wanted _to reply.

"Look, I'm really sorry about all this," Brooke apologized, "and about what's happened tonight."

"You don't have to be sorry."

Brooke shrugged. "I just feel really bad. First, there's the thing with Nathan and Haley, then Michael's got his problems, and Isabel and Alex…then you and Liz have… It's a whole lot. Lucas and I were planning on announcing it tonight, but you know, we don't have to. This has to be the worst night to do it. "

Max quickly shook his head. "No. No, it's—It's fine. It, um… How would you have known that tonight was going to turn out the way it did?" he chuckled. He knew he was about to ramble on but he couldn't stop. "It's really not a problem. My family is going to be thrilled. The night should end on a good note and, I mean, tomorrow I'd rather have all of us thinking about your engagement rather than any of our other news. You'd be helping us out." He flashed his pearly whites and then toned it down to an honest smile. "Don't feel bad about being happy, Brooke."

They bickered with each other and teased each other and they were there for each other. He always managed to make a bad situation tolerable for her.

"Have you set a date?" Max wondered.

Brooke shook her head. "Probably soon though. Lucas doesn't want to wait too long."

"And what do you want?" Max asked.

A tornado of emotions unexpectedly turned Brooke's stomach. Hesitation was overwhelming her. "I—I don't know," she managed to spit out. "I really don't know." Noticing the glow of the wood dim down, Brooke found her hands running up and down her arms again.

Not giving it a second thought, Max made one big step toward Brooke, taking his jacket off as he moved. He draped it on her shoulders and sat next to her. "Is this ok?" he asked with uncertainty.

To show her approval Brooke nodded and grabbed the lapels of his blazer and pulled them into her, tightening the jacket around her, bringing it closer to her body. The jacket mostly smelled like maple caramel with a hint of smoke and the lamb they had for dinner. Brooke actually liked it.

"Thank you," she said softly.

Neither of them had noticed how close they were in proximity to each other. Brooke was leaning into Max as he had his arm around her. It was coincidence that they came to the same realization at the same time. It took them maybe ten seconds to realize what they were doing. For both of them it was a very long ten seconds, but it wasn't something they were ever going to complain about. Brooke quickly pulled away, sitting up straight, while Max leapt off the bench and backed away, awkwardly trying to figure out what he should do with his arms. First, he crossed them in front of his chest, then he changed his mind and shoved his hands into his pockets.

"Sorry," he apologized.

"It's fine," Brooke chuckled. She watched him pace around and look up at the sky. Considering everything that happened tonight, Brooke wondered. "Are you going to be ok?" she asked.

Max stopped and looked at her. "Yeah." He threw his head around a bit. "Yeah, I'm just worried about Isabel and Nathan."

"That's good, but I mean, are _you_ going to be ok?"

Something off to the side stole Max's attention. He stared at it intently; his eyes squinted and all. He took his lips inside his mouth and shook his head. "I don't know," he sighed.

This was the first time Brooke had ever seen Max so…broken. When he took that deep breath to sigh, Brooke heard it quiver. "Max, if you want to talk—"

"You know, I don't even know what you do," he interrupted. "You going to school? Working?"

Brooke pursed her lips, disappointed that Max had closed himself off. "Um…" She decided to just comply. "I finished school and for the past couple years I've been an apprentice for this designer in Durham."

"How's that going?"

Pleased to hear the interest in his voice, Brooke smiled happily. "It's great. Donovan—she's the designer I apprentice for—she's an amazing woman. I love her work and she's really helping me try to launch my own line."

"Your own line?" Max's eyebrows lifted. "That's great, Brooke." He smiled so proudly.

Brooke's cheeks burned red. She was relieved it was dark and that the fire had gone out. "Thanks. I'm excited about it."

"You should be. I mean, that's really huge." Max hadn't stopped smiling and was aware of it. "I'm really proud of you."

Who needed the fire when there was flattery to warm Brooke up? It was refreshing to receive praise from someone other than Lucas, especially if it was Max. This is what Brooke had missed. She missed his presence. Not just because he boosted her ego, because he could easily put her back in her place. That was the friendly, anything goes relationship they had. Brooke missed Max mostly because he was her Lucas without being Lucas. It was both a good thing and a bad thing.

"What about you?" she asked. "How's the, um, building business?"

"The building business is perfect."

"I'm reading about you in magazines."

"Playgirl?" Max joked.

Brooke's mouth dropped open feigning shock. "No. I'm talking about Forbes, The Economist, Fortune…"

"What the hell are you doing reading those magazines?" Max laughed.

The reasons she read those magazines were…Well, there was only one reason.

"Max, you—"

"So this is where the birthday boy and girl are."

Brooke and Max looked over their shoulders and at the site of Lucas, they reflexively smirked.

Max gave his brother a wave from the hip. "Hey, Luke."

"What are you guys talking about?" The blond Scott took a seat next to his fiancée and wrapped his arm around her.

"Just catching up," Brooke replied.

The conversation pace had slowed down considerably.

Ok, it stopped when Lucas joined in.

"How are things inside?" Brooke asked.

"Better," Lucas nodded. "Michael took a walk. Maria's with him. Hopefully he'll cool off."

"Isabel and Alex?"

"Alex is taking care of her."

"Good," Brooke nodded.

Meanwhile, Max had continued standing off to the side, watching and listening to the conversation between his brother and his fiancée. Lucas's fiancée. "Congratulations," Max decided to say. "Brooke told me about the engagement." He held out his hand.

A little taken aback, Lucas hesitated for a moment before standing up to shake his brother's hand _and_ pull him in for a hug. Surprised by the hug, Max's eyes had widened. The hug itself was a rare moment but what made Brooke smile was Max's reaction. He made eye contact with Brooke and shrugged with his eyes, throwing in a little smirk.

Max broke the embrace and took a step back, patting the side of Lucas's shoulder. "You did good, little brother," he said.

"Thanks, Max." Lucas could not take off the goofy grin on his face, but he took his brother's situation into consideration. "Hey, um, I have to apologize for earlier."

Max's eyebrows frowned.

"When you and Liz got here tonight, I was really stand-offish," Lucas clarified. "I just…" He had trouble finding appropriate words to portray himself honestly and adequately. "It's all of us here at Dan's celebrating your birthday after five years of barely seeing you. I needed to warm up to the idea."

With complete and utter understanding, Max bobbed his head.

"And," Lucas continued, "I'm really sorry about what's going on with you and Liz and with what happened inside."

"Don't worry about it. Look, you and Brooke have some great news," Max smiled. "Share it. Let's just hope Dan's more understanding than he was with me and with Nathan."

"I don't really think it's a good time."

"Would you tell him?" Max chuckled, looking at Brooke.

After watching his brother, Lucas turned to his fiancée and waited for her reply.

"Max actually thinks it'd be a good idea if we told everyone," Brooke explained.

Squinting his eyes with skepticism, Lucas glanced at his older brother. "Are you sure? Because it really can wait."

"When else are we all going to be together like this? Go inside and tell everyone," Max insisted. "I'll be in in a minute."

"Ok," Lucas smiled.

He nodded his head once, satisfied after getting what he needed. He stood up, holding Brooke's hand and essentially helping her up. Together the two of them walked back toward the French doors that would lead back to the chaos. With a hand already on the door handle, Brooke stopped and took a step back, pulling her hand out of Lucas's.

"Hold on a second." The blazer that belonged to Max was still draped around her shoulders. Brooke turned around and jogged back over to him.

Max stayed where he stood and waited for Brooke to come to him. There was a certain nervousness he felt as she drew near. As she stood in front of him, he only had his eyebrows lifted, expressing his attentiveness.

"Thank you," Brooke said, taking off the coat. She placed it in the hand he offered to her and stared down at the brick patio.

After sliding his jacket back on, Max just observed her. He still hadn't said a word. As he waited, he gave a quick glance over Brooke's shoulder to see Lucas patiently waiting by the doors, texting on his phone.

"Look, I don't want to impose myself into your life," Brooke started, stealing back Max's attention, "but it'd be really nice to be back in it. So if you ever want to talk or need to talk, I'm just a call away."

Despite being thrilled by the offering, all Max could do was put on a smile, albeit it very small, practically non-existent, and nod appreciatively. He had become completely aware of the situation: his brother and Brooke were going to get married. Who knows for sure what Max's hopes were, but you can definitely say that Lucas and Brooke's engagement was bittersweet for him.

Brooke turned a bit to leave but hesitation caused her to pause and then turn back to Max. "Hey, so Lucas convinced me that it was ok that the basketball was a gift from the both of us, but I still have something for you from just me."

"You didn't have to," Max told her.

Brooke gave him a smile. "I didn't bring it though. So do you want to stop by my place sometime? Or I can drop by your hotel? Actually, what time do you leave tomorrow?"

"Liz and I fly out tomorrow night."

"Do you have time for lunch?"

Max took a moment to recall his schedule in his mind. Eventually, he nodded. "Lunch works."

"Great!" Brooke smiled. "So I'll give you a call or something. See you inside?"

Max nodded and before she stepped away, Brooke comfortingly placed her hand on the crook of his arm and gave it a soft squeeze. She started to skip backwards.

"Don't you dare light up again," she warned, giving a friendly wink.

Brooke hopped around and tiggered her way back over to Lucas. At Lucas's feet, Brooke landed on her tiptoes and kissed Lucas on the lips.

Considering the mood Max was currently in and disregarding certain events, the night was looking up. Maybe it was a number of things, but maybe it was because it was nice to just spend a moment with one person versus ten, especially if the majority of that ten were the Scott family. I guess Max just never got used to having a family so big.


	8. Black Top

**8. Black Top**

Brooke and Lucas stepped inside while Max looked back up at the sky. Off in the distance he could hear the familiar sound of a basketball hitting the concrete. With the elements of the cool air, the midnight blue sky, and the bouncing of a basketball, Max started to remember the nights when he'd sneak out of the house just to be outside because it was better than being inside Dan's home.

Twenty years ago, when Max moved in, it wasn't easy for him to get comfortable. He was living in a part of town that was the polar opposite og the part he used to live in. Dan's house was about ten times bigger than the apartment Max and his mother used to live in and full of gorgeous furniture but still spacious enough with plenty of room for all the kids to run around, but to Max it was stifling.

The first few nights Max tried to run away but he'd never get far. He could never get past the basketball court. It always caught his eye and drew him in. So instead of running, Max would sit at center court and lie down on his back. He'd just stare at the stars. That's it. He would just lie back on the black top, staring at the dark sky. Being surrounded by that much darkness, it was almost as if Max was in the sky. It felt so safe. Time would pass and Max would doze off. The sound of the sprinklers and the mist hitting his face always woke him before dawn. He'd rush back into the house and slide into bed. Eventually, Max stopped trying to run away but continued to spend nights out on the blacktop.

Max stood at the top of the key with his hands stuffed inside his pockets. He felt a certain sense of pride as he watched his brother lay the ball into the hoop with perfect form and ease. Max himself loved the game and always wondered "what if" when it came to basketball. You'd figure he'd harbor, at the least, the slightest bit of jealousy, but Max was extremely proud, the way a father proud of his son, the way Dan should have been proud of Nathan, and all of his children for that matter.

The ball fell through the net and into Nathan's waiting hands. He pivoted toward Max and shoved the ball to him. "Play to 11?" he asked.

Max sandwiched the ball with his hands. He missed the feeling of the leather under his fingertips. He missed the action of shooting the ball; bending his knees, lifting off the ground, extending his arms, flicking his wrist and watching the ball fall through the hoop. He missed running up and down the court. He missed pressing his forearm against an opponent's back, keeping them from advancing to the basket. Max missed the adrenaline and the endorphins released as a result of the hard work. He missed everything about basketball, but lately, he was glad he hadn't played in twelve years. Who knew that all this time the one thing all the Scott boys had in common, the one thing that could bring them together, was something that could kill them?

"Well?" Nathan walked to his brother. "Do you want to play?"

Max looked at him and then back down at the ball. "Is it ok if we just talk?"

Nathan looked at him skeptically, but then he shrugged and nodded. "Yeah, sure." He led the way over to the bench on the sideline. "I know what you're going to say, Max, but before you say it, I know that Haley and I are young, but I am beyond in love with her. If I think about my future, I can't see one without her, and when I try my hardest to imagine it, I don't want to be in that future. Plus, she's a smart girl, man. She wouldn't marry me unless she truly believed it would work."

While his brother spoke, Max spun the ball on his palms and watched it intently. He had been thinking back to ten years ago. "I said the same to Dan when he found out about Liz and me," Max chuckled sadly. "So, no. You and Haley _are_ young but that's not the issue for me." Max handed the ball to his brother, freeing his hands for his cigarette case. He lit up and took a drag before continuing. "It's not the age. It's just that you and Haley are starting out a lot like Liz and I did and that scares me."

"Max…"

"I tried to love my wife the way I did ten years ago," Max went on, "but I'm not the guy I was ten years ago, and back then I knew I was going to be the guy I am now."

Frustrated, Nathan scratched his brow and sighed. "I have no idea what you just said."

After inhaling sharply with his cigarette between his lips, Max tilted his head back and sighed heavily, blowing the smoke in a stream straight up to the sky. "When I was your age, Nathan, I knew that I wanted to be a real-estate developer. I knew that I wanted to build hotels around the world and be this successful. I knew that." The last three words escaped out of his mouth and he used them to beat himself over the head. He dropped his cigarette between his feet and stomped on it hard. Clearly, Max was angry at himself. "We were both so in love with each other then. We didn't factor in that in the future we were going to be different people as a result of where our paths took us. We adapted to each other, but that might have been the problem. We shouldn't have had to compromise for each other."

"But isn't that ideal?" Nathan questioned. "You compromise, make it work?"

Max bobbed his head. "Sometimes, yes. But Liz gave up pieces of herself to be my wife. She compromised herself. It's not very fair, is it?" Another heavy regretful sigh escaped from Max. "We all change and we don't even realize it, Nathan." He looked his brother in the eyes. "Are you who you want to be?"

"What?"

"Ten years down the road, where do you see yourself?"

"Playing pro ball."

"Are you that person now?" Max questioned.

"You know I'm not."

"So you're going to work to get to that point then."

Nathan replied with a nod.

"Meanwhile, what's Haley doing?"

Genuine thought and concern appeared on Nathan's face. "I—I don't know," he replied.

"If Haley tells you that she'll support you and your dream and follow you wherever you go, that's great, but does her own dream suffer because of that?"

Nathan continued staring down at the ground.

"I'm not trying to discourage you, Nate. It's just that neither Liz or I were truly ready. We were both willing to make the commitment. We both went into it believing that we would work through anything. Everything was seemingly ideal. But neither of us were who we wanted to be yet." Max laughed to himself, shaking his head as he did. "It's like Michael said, he's waiting until he's grown up. It's what Liz and I should have done."

"You are now," Nathan replied. "You're grown up. Both of you are. Is it too late to make adjustments? Are you telling me you two aren't in love with each other any more?"

"We're different now."

"So what, you just stopped loving her?"

Max shook his head. No, that wasn't it. "I still love her. I think she still loves me. We just don't love each other enough."

"And that's what I don't get. How does that happen? How does love like yours and Liz's just go away like that?"

Seeing such innocence in his brother's eyes, Max smirked at Nathan. "It just did," he shrugged. "I became the businessman I wanted to be and Liz was trying to be the scientist she wanted to be, but not completely, because she was holding back to be my wife. It changed her. I changed. We were just becoming people different than the ones we fell in love with." Max sighed a tired sigh. "It's hard to explain, Nate, because it doesn't make sense. We always came home to each other. We always tried to be with each other if either of us had a business trip. If it wasn't possible, then we called each other when we woke up and we called each other when we went to bed. A lot of times we would talk so long we would fall asleep to each other's voice." Max took the ball back from Nathan and gave it a couple of bounces, focusing only on the spot where the ball hit the ground. "Something changed and then something happened."

"What 'happened'? Did Liz do something?"

"No," Max immediately answered. "Liz is still the Liz that you love like a sister, Nathan. She didn't do anything wrong. Don't ever think she did."

"Did _you_ do something?"

Max went back to staring at the ball. "It's not that simple."

Nathan didn't want to assume but his brother's reply compelled him to prod further. "What did you do, man?"

All Max could do for a little while was shake his head. "Probably a few things," he reluctantly admitted, "but I didn't cheat if that's what you're thinking. I wouldn't do that to Liz."

"You're being cryptic, Max."

He got up from the bench and started to pace. "This is why I didn't want talk about it, 'cause I knew we were going to head down this road."

"You're doing all the talking, Max."

"Come on," he ordered, walking back toward the house. "Lucas and Brooke have some news to share with everyone."

Nathan stayed on the bench. "Max, if you didn't cheat, then what did you do?"

"Nathan, drop it," Max sternly replied.

"Max, come—"

"Stop."

Max didn't shout but he frightened his little brother with the tone and weight of his voice. It wasn't a threat but it gave Nathan that sense of fear. He felt the anger steam off of Max's words. He quickly shut his mouth and followed a foot or two behind his brother all the way into the house. Suddenly he felt like he was a kid again, and not in that happy sense.

The two brothers entered through the doors that led back into the family room where everyone had gathered again. Max went one way; Nathan watched him go and decided to head in the opposite direction. After he greeted his new bride with a kiss on the cheek, Nathan sat next to Haley but kept his focus on Max across the room. He watched his brother kiss his wife—his ex-wife? Nathan just couldn't understand it. Maybe it was his naïveté. Maybe he just had hope for Max and Liz.

Growing up, Nathan was completely aware of the relationship his parents had. He was observant. He knew they didn't have the greatest marriage. It was, however, Dan's most successful marriage as far as length goes, but it was far from a love story. That became more apparent when Nate was about ten. Around that time, Max and Liz had been dating for some time. It wouldn't be much longer until the two of them got married themselves. When they did, despite hardly seeing them, to Nathan, they became parental figures and the only example of true love. Nathan was the only one whom Max spoke to most during his time away from the family. Max was the dad Dan should have been and Liz was the mother Deb should have been.

It broke Nathan's heart that Max and Liz were no longer going to be "Max and Liz." When Nathan was younger, it was great that his oldest brother was getting married, but love wasn't really big on Nathan's mind. Basketball trumped everything else. But Nathan got older. He had those moments of puppy love in high school and hoped that his relationships were at least half as great as Max and Liz's was. When he started to seriously think about his future in the relationship department, he only wanted what Max and Liz had. Now what they had was gone. What did Nathan have to look up to? Fuck Michael for being right.

Nathan kept his eyes on Max who glanced over in his direction every so often. There was a burden being the oldest brother. There was always going to be someone who looked up to him. Mostly it was Nathan. Max didn't like that pressure.

Now that everyone was finally in the room, Lucas stood up and drew the attention of his family and friends. "I know that it's been a rough night," he announced, "and I don't mean to take from anything that's going on, but Max made the point that we're all here together and when is that going to happen again?"

"What are you getting at?" Isabel curiously wondered.

Lucas looked down at Brooke with a growing grin on his face. On Brooke's face was a softer more subtle smile. Max noticed the difference but wasn't quite sure how he felt about that.

Still smiling down at her, Lucas gave Brooke his hand. Maybe he wanted her to stand beside him but she continued sitting on the arm rest of the couch closest to him. I guess it was ok since she was half standing. Lucas didn't think too much about it. Maybe he should have.

After a deep breath, Lucas addressed his friends and family. "A week ago I asked Brooke to marry me." He looked at her and smiled. "She said 'yes'." Lucas looked out and was met with wide eyes and smiles much to his relief.

"Congratulations!" the room responded.

Soon people got off the couches and showered Brooke and Lucas with hugs and kisses, but Max headed straight to the bar. Lucas and Brooke were surrounded by people to notice, but Liz, after congratulating her (ex-) brother-in-law and soon-to-be (ex-) sister-in-law, spotted her husband and joined him.

Liz placed her hand on the small of his back when she approached him and leaned her cheek against his arm. He knew it was her the moment she put her palm against his back. It was a comforting, warm touch. She always touched him the same way. It was something he was going to miss, amongst _many_ other things, and he was going to miss them all terribly, so much that it made him ache. There were moments like this where he reconsidered things. Maybe it would be a mistake to go through with the divorce, but then he remembered, it wasn't his decision, it was hers. And if they didn't go through with it, it wouldn't be a marriage. It would be a selfish act. They would merely be together because they didn't want to let go of the little things. But Max and Liz were rational, so they were going to go through with it and say goodbye to those little things, but they would remember the magnitude of them and cherish them.

Max rested his cheek on the top of her head for a lingering moment and then placed a kiss amidst her soft almond hair.

For a couple about to get divorced, they looked like a couple very much together, and in love.

"You should probably congratulate them," Liz told Max. "They're going to wonder why you're over here and not there."

"Yeah, I, um, already congratulated them outside," Max said.

"Still," Liz insisted. "It doesn't look normal."

After glancing over his shoulder and being unable to find Lucas and Brooke in the sea of people, Max shook his head before taking a sip of scotch. "I don't think anyone will notice."

"I'm sure Brooke would appreciate it."

There was hardly any sass in her reply, but it was there. It disappointed Max.

"Liz, I thought we weren't going to do this," he sighed.

"I know. I'm sorry. I just—" She looked at him with a sad, heartbreaking smirk and shrugged her shoulders. "We thought she wasn't going to be here, Max, but she is, and it's hard. I can see the way you—"

"I don't mean to," Max quickly interrupted. He didn't want her to have to say it. It would devastate him if he could hear the hurt in her voice and he surely would. It wouldn't be the first time.

"You can't help it," Liz told him.

"I wish I could. I really wish I didn't feel—"

He froze when she placed her hand on the side of his face. She grazed his cheek with her thumb as she offered a sympathetic smile, lifting just a corner of her lips. "You and I know that's only half true."

With his eyes closed, Max turned in and kissed Liz's palm; regret and guilt in his heart and mind. "I'm so sorry," he whispered into her hand.

Their tender moment would soon be interrupted.

"Something's going on," Nathan said to them.

Max's eyes shot open as Liz whipped around, snatching her hand from her husband's cheek. They pretended to hide the affection they had just shown each other. Liz turned away while Max refreshed his drink. They carried on as if nothing happened, fueling Nathan's confusion and determination to discover the truth.

"I've been watching you two this whole time," he told his brother and sister-in-law. "The others might not see it, but I can."

"Nathan, I told you to drop this."

Liz tried her hand. "Hey," she kindly said to Nathan, wrapping her arm around his and walking him even further away from the crowd. "I still love your brother and I'm going to love him forever, but we're different people now."

Nathan shook his head. "That shouldn't matter," he said. "Love stays the same."

"But it didn't. Not for us."

Maybe Liz had an affect on Nathan. Max could see that his brother was slowly getting it. He was looking into Liz's eyes less intensely; more defeated instead. The disappointment and discouragement were finally setting in.

"I love you, Nathan," Liz told him. "And I'll love you forever too." She gave him a smile and leaned into him, holding him tight, savoring every bit of their embrace.

"I still don't get it," Nathan said to both Max and Liz. "No matter how much I hate the idea, you two aren't going to be together anymore. Fine. But I have to know why."

Liz checked with Max before replying. "Neither of us are ready to reveal that," she told Nathan.

"So then what the hell am I going to do about Haley and me?"

Nathan's sister-in-law offered a soft smile. "It's something you're going to have to go through on your own, Nate. I'm sorry, but you've made a grown-up choice, you have to be a grown-up now."

It really was a parental relationship between Max and Liz and Nathan. If Nathan didn't get the answer he wanted from one "parent," he was going to go to the other. After receiving, essentially, the same conclusion from both Max and Liz, Nathan was closer to accepting the reality. But God. He was aching to find out what happened between the two of them. The "different people" theory wasn't enough for him. There had to be more.

With their arms still hooked, Nathan and Liz walked back to the center of the living room to join their family and friends. Max topped off his glass and followed after them. He could feel his face getting warmer as he neared but it had to have been the alcohol. That's what he was going to keep telling himself.

"Congratulations again," Max said, working his way through the crowd with his free hand reaching for Lucas.

"Thanks, Max." Lucas replied at a bit of a shout just so that his brother could hear him over the girls who gawked at Brooke's ring.

After giving Lucas's hand a hearty shake, Max moved on to Brooke. She continued sitting on the armrest while Isabel, Liz, Maria, ad Haley hovered over her left hand. They gave more attention to the ring than to Brooke's face, which was fine with Max. He saw it as an opportunity to congratulate her. He glanced around before doing so, noticing his brothers, his father, and Alex huddle around Lucas to listen to him recount the night of the proposal.

Max moved to Brooke's side, standing next to her, facing her. He leaned in so that his right cheek was near her left, so that his lips were near her ear. "I never congratulated you," he said softly, but not in a whisper. "Congratulations."

He leaned in further, stopping when his cheek rested against hers, and then slowly turned his head. Max let his lips graze Brooke's skin until the flesh of his lips pressed against the flesh of her cheek. Leisurely, he gave her a drawn-out kiss. It wouldn't have ended if Brooke hadn't pulled her head away to look Max in the eye with her own eyes wide in shock. She didn't get to study his eyes for very long at all. He had lowered his head and then walked away.


	9. Dad's Gift

**9. Dad's Gift**

Brooke could smell the alcohol. The scotch was aged. It was strong. Max had had at least a couple of glasses of it, which was more than enough for his keys to be taken away from him. That's what it was. It had to have been the alcohol.

The alcohol was extremely popular with the Scott family. Max found himself back at the bar and even if he wasn't there, Dan was going to refresh his drink anyway. It was just an added bonus that his son was doing the same.

"Would you mind?" Dan asked from his wheelchair. He held his empty glass up to Max.

Lucky for his father, Max was buzzed and willing to help him. So Max snatched the glass from Dan's hand and served his father before himself.

"Thank you," Dan smiled as he took his drink.

Max remained silent.

"You mind if I talk to you privately?" Dan asked.

With a raised brow and skepticism stamped across his face, Max continued to remain silent but he at least gave his father his attention.

"I'd like to give you your present," Dan explained.

Since the others were still preoccupied by the happy news of the engagement, Max figured this would be as good a time as any to deal with Dan. After a nod of approval from his son, Dan wheeled himself out of the room and across the foyer to his study. Reluctantly (obviously), Max sauntered after him. Eventually he stepped inside, closing the door behind him while his father grabbed a folder from his desk.

Dan stayed behind the desk and held out the folder for his son. For what felt like a good while, he just held his arm out and looked at his son standing at the door. Dan could see the reluctance in Max and he could see the dislike. Max didn't show disgust for his father like a couple of his siblings did. He showed disinterest. Dan wasn't sure which was worse.

Max approached warily but grabbed the folder without question. He set his glass down on the desk and examined the papers he held. Dan watched his son. He watched him narrow his eyes and shake his head. He knew what would come next.

"What is this?" Max questioned.

"I had my lawyer draw that up as soon as I came to."

Max dropped the papers in front of Dan on his desk. "Why are you giving me the dealership?"

"It's your birthday gift."

"No, it's not," Max chuckled. "It can't be that simple."

"Why not?" Dan scoffed.

Did he really have to ask?

"Because it's you," Max answered. "You give because you always want something in return. You're always plotting."

"I had a heart attack three days ago. Is it hard to believe that I want to change?"

Again, I think we all know the answer. Max didn't even bother replying. Rather than coming up with some retort, Max instead thought about how much a waste of time the last few minutes were. Max could have done without this night actually. It wasn't that he didn't love his family, but he had done so well without them. Max had a whole different life. It didn't include them. He was aware of how horrible that sounded, but for the first ten years of his life, Max did well without them then too. He definitely did well without Dan and would continue to. It wasn't like he needed the dealership. He could do without that as well. It would just be another thing that tied him to Tree Hill.

"I was going to leave you the dealership anyway," Dan explained.

"So then you should have let me find that out when you died. I don't want this crap now."

Dan had said much worse in his lifetime, so even if he felt hurt, he wouldn't fight back. "I want to make sure my affairs are tended to."

Max could only find humor in this conversation, in Dan's actions and attempts at being human. "Jesus Christ, Dan." He turned around and headed for the door. "You're not going to die tomorrow."

As his son reached for the doorknob, Dan prepared to reel him back in. "You don't know that," he said. "Hell, considering this heart problem that some of you might have, you or your siblings just might go tomorrow or who knows when." He watched his son freeze into place and then whip around without any regard to the drink in his hand.

Max's glass was now empty, much of the scotch soaked the floor. "I told you, Dan: Do not tell them."

"What do you think you're achieving by keeping this a secret?" Dan wondered narrow-eyed, his eyebrows deviously frowning. "Are you afraid that you'll be the one with this curse? Or are you scared that maybe one of them has it? Which is it? Selfish? Or selfless?"

"You talk so carelessly about this, like you wanted to plague at least one of us and you could care less because then you wouldn't be the only one. We're your children!" Max threw the glass down right at his feet. The thick glass only cracked when it hit the carpet.

"Take the gift and I'll keep my mouth shut," Dan said. It was all he chose to say.

If it would buy Dan's silence then Max had no other choice. Max reluctantly approached the desk and grabbed the folder with its contents sticking out. He didn't bother rearranging them. The whole time he kept his eyes on his "gift" not looking at Dan once.

"I'm going to have my lawyers look at these," Max said over his shoulder as he walked out of the room.

By now, Max's buzz had worn off considerably. He stopped mid-step when he walked back into the family room, when he caught sight of Brooke. Memories of minutes ago when he congratulated her flooded his mind. The embarrassment rushed to his face in the form of warmth.

The hoopla of the engagement had settled down. Brooke and Lucas were surrounded by individuals rather than groups. Who knows if they were even talking about it anymore? The room looked like it should have looked, a bunch of family and friends who gathered together after years of being apart. Forget what happened nearly an hour ago when Pandora's Box slowly opened. What Max saw, now, in the family room was something he hoped for.

Max loved his family. He did. He just wished they operated like a one. Max didn't like that their father wasn't a father. He didn't like that his sister always had to put on a brave face and pretend that everything was alright. Max didn't like that he hadn't seen a smile on Michael in nearly ten years. He didn't like that Lucas was always cast off to the side, even by him. The only thing Max liked was the naïveté in Nathan.

What Max didn't realize was that every family had their own set of problems, his family wasn't an exception, and you have to take it all, the good, the bad, and the ugly. There are things that pull Max away from Tree Hill, like his work, and then there are things that just make him want to stay away from home, like Dan, and a few other things, like the overload of bad and ugly, and unhappiness. If you ask me, it's not like Max was good and happy.

The embarrassment soon began to subside, taken over by the sliver of happiness Max felt looking at his tamed family. It was a shame that, for him, the night was over.

"Liz?" He knelt down beside his wife while she spoke to his sister. "You ready to go?"

"No!" Isabel protested. "You can't leave yet. Your birthday gift still isn't here."

A little wince. "Isn't it something that you can send to me?" Max wondered.

"The final product, yes. But you need to be here to be a part of the production."

"What is it?" Liz curiously wondered.

The doorbell rang before Isabel could answer but something told Liz that the answer had just arrived. Isabel rushed out of the room. Everyone watched her has she fled and continued staring at the doorway until Isabel returned with a wide and very proud grin on her face and a, quite frankly, geeky stranger by her side. With the stranger was a cart of silver crates and large cases.

"What's going on?" Dan had rolled out of his study and found his daughter and the stranger.

"We're taking a family portrait," Isabel smiled. "Everyone's going to be in it."

Ta-da!

Michael, of course, laughed. "You're kidding, right?"

In response to his brother, Lucas shook his head disapprovingly. "You know, you should just shut up for the rest of the night."

"I think it's a good idea."

Everyone stared at Max in surprise.

"It's a good idea that Michael shut up?" Nathan wondered, looking for clarification.

To the contrary, Max shook his head. "I think the family photo is a good idea."

"How is that possibly a good idea?" This time it was Lucas who vocalized his doubt. "We're not really at the point in ours lives to be immortalized in a family photo."

"Don't rag on Isabel's gift," Brooke told her fiancé.

"He's kind of right," Nathan winced. "Lucas, that is."

Max continued to stand on firm ground. "I think it's the perfect time. Haley just became a part of this family and Brooke's going to be. Liz and I haven't had a picture together in a little while and I'd like to get one before we…" He didn't bother finishing that thought, swallowing his words instead. "It's a nice way to commemorate my thirtieth," he reasoned. "Who knows when we're all going to be together again?"

Isabel was relieved and happy that her brother was thinking positive. "Let's take it in the living room," she suggested.

In one hand was the folder with documents that gave Dan Scott Motors to Max Evans and in his other was Liz's hand. With his wife by his side, Max led his family to the living room for a family photo of a family that hardly was.


	10. Long Lunch

**10. Long Lunch**

The miniature fridge was still full of untouched bottles of water and petite bottles of assorted liquors. The can of macadamia nuts remained with its seal intact and next to it was the cellophane-wrapped fruit basket of figs, dates, and other odd-looking fruit. In the bathroom, the white, thick and fluffy towels were all accounted for and hanging neatly on the rack. On the counter next to the travertine sinks were the complimentary bottles of shampoo and conditioner. These weren't the typical hotel toiletries. The soap was imported from France and the shampoo and conditioner didn't look like the generic dog shampoo you'd find at your local big box store, the one that was an odd emerald green. No, this shampoo and conditioner were the kind you wouldn't find at your local supermarket and although expensive, they were worth the money.

In a suitcase on the floor of the bedroom was menswear, a vintage bottle of wine, Knicks-Lakers tickets, and a 20-year-old toy basketball. Max lifted the luggage onto the king-bed covered in five hundred thread count sheets. He noticed a tie poking between the zippers and tucked it in before zipping the suitcase shut and locking it up for the flight home.

There was about four hours until he and Liz had to be at the airport to make their plane to New York. She would spend a few of the hours watching a movie with Maria at the theater across town and then they'd enjoy a late lunch at the bistro near the airport. Max would meet them there later with the luggage and Maria would see them off. Before then, Max was just going to relax in the room, maybe get some work done. Or so that's what he told Liz.

"Are you sure you don't want to come?" Liz asked.

Max looked at her as she finished applying her lip balm. He caught her eye and smiled at her while he shook his head. "You and Maria should spend time just the two of you, but thanks anyway."

On the way to the door, Liz stopped in front of Max and patted the sides of his torso as he placed a kiss on the top of her head. He watched her leave before plopping onto the bed. With a click of the remote the 52-inch LCD television on the wall turned on. First, an infomercial for car wax was on. Max watched the demonstrator put an area of a hot rod's hood on fire. They put the fire out and what do you know? No damage to the hood. Max flipped the channel, passing a few other infomercials and reruns of shows like MacGyver or Fall Guy before landing on golf.

Half an hour had passed when Max's phone began to ring. He answered and said a "See you in a sec," and hung up.

The one thing Max didn't pack back into his suitcase was a gift he had brought from home. He retrieved it from the safe and carefully dropped it into the pocket of his slacks. Liz knew nothing about it, like she knew nothing about the lunch Max planned to have.

By now, she and Maria would be sitting in the movie theater with their tubs of popcorn in their laps, but Max still scanned the lobby hoping that he wouldn't spot them. It was a terrible feeling this type of fear and deceit. Max was glad he never did this on a regular basis. While he looked and hoped he would not see his wife and her best friend, Max was also looking for someone else. She saw him before he brought his eyes to hers.

"Hi," Brooke softly smiled.

Max returned the smile and the two of them started walking toward the restaurant.

Tourist season didn't start for a month or two but by the looks of the business in the Bel it would seem that the season was already well under way. It was always like this year round and would only get busier in the next coming months. The Bel was pretty much the place to be in Tree Hill. It's where the elite relaxed and where the non-elite could spend a nice day out. The tennis courts were constantly occupied, the three pools were often bragged about as was the spa, and the golf course greens were impeccably maintained. The staff were all courteous and the restaurant was internationally known. Essentially, the Bel was the best there was in Tree Hill, and it was Max's pride and joy.

"I'm sure you know how well you're doing on paper," Brooke said, "but how is it actually seeing the success?"

No one had ever asked that before. Max actually needed a moment to think about it.

"It's surreal," he told her. "It doesn't even really register with me. I'm proud, I guess."

"And it feels good, doesn't it?"

Max stopped looking at the busyness around him and met Brooke's eyes. He subtly bobbed his head and gave his attention to the menu in front of him. As the two of them began to settle on a decision, the server returned with complimentary mimosas. Brooke chose the duck salad while Max went with the ahi burger. The server left, taking the menus with him. Max no longer had anything to hide behind.

"Do you remember kissing me last night?" Brooke asked.

Max spat out a scoff. "I didn't kiss you last night. I would _definitely_ remember kissing you."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Brooke wasn't sure if she was offended but that's how her words had come out. "And you did, too, kiss me. Lucas and I had just announced to everyone that we were engaged. You came over and congratulated me, which I don't know why you did since it's not like it was your first time hearing the news. You came over and kissed my cheek."

"It was just a kiss on the cheek."

"Not this one," Brooke shook her head. "No one's ever kissed me on the cheek like that before."

The butter knife on the table kept Max's attention as he turned it over and over again. "Maybe Lucas should kiss you on the cheek more. Maybe then it'd be more familiar to you."

Brooke watched him fiddle with the silverware but not because it was fascinating to her like it apparently was to Max. Her eyes fell on the butter knife because she didn't want to have to look at Max not looking at her. "Max, the way you're talking to me…I'm not sure what to think."

"Then let's move onto something else."

Max reached inside his pocket for the gift he had kept locked in the safe in his room. He placed the small box adorned with a ribbon on the table and kept it close to him. "Do you remember when I came back for Christmas during my first year at NYU?"

Brooke nodded.

"Thanksgiving of that year, I had gone to Japan—"

"That was when we started to realize that we were losing you," Brooke interrupted. "We were relieved when we saw you at Christmas."

Max nodded and continued on without dwelling on Brooke's statement, almost as if she hadn't said anything at all. "When I came here for Christmas, I was wearing a necklace with a pendant I had gotten from Japan."

"It was beautiful," Brooke recalled.

Again, Max bobbed his head. "Well, I went back to Japan…" Finally, he slid the box toward Brooke. "Happy birthday," he smiled.

Brooke delicately took the ends of the ribbon and freed the box. As soon as she lifted the lid, the smile on her face relieved Max. Brooke was staring at a unique white gold pendant with Japanese characters. She could remember it so clearly from that Christmas many, many years ago. Now she had one of her very own.

"I was happy to see that you were still wearing your charm bracelet."

The white gold of the pendant matched the white gold of Brooke's bracelet and the charms attached. It looked like it belonged. "Thank you," she told him. "I love it." She gave her wrist a jiggle and watched the pendant swing. "When did you go back to Japan?"

Max nervously shook his head. "It's not important."

Though she didn't agree, Brooke nodded her head and moved on. She reached into her large purse and retrieved a rectangular box only a couple inches thick and no longer than a foot wide or long.

"As soon as Isabel convinced you to stay for your birthday," Brooke started, "she enlisted me to help her find a family photo. It took us a day of searching through all the boxes in Dan's attic to figure out that you guys never took a whole family photo, but I did find this."

Max had opened the box to reveal a picture, matted and framed. The black and white photo was of Max, just hours old, resting comfortably in his young mother's arms as she looked down upon him lovingly. The sunlight through the hospital windows accentuated the beautifully delicate features in Max's mother and highlighted the precious bundle of joy that was Max.

"Dan doesn't deserve to have that photo," Brooke said. "So I took it from him and gave it to the person who does."

It had been so long that Max sometimes forgot what his mother looked like. He could remember her presence and love but as the years went by Max couldn't picture her clearly. There weren't many photos of her around and of the ones Max had, they were nothing like this one. They weren't as raw, as strong, as emotional.

"She was beautiful," Brooke said. "I wish I knew her."

Max finally took his watery eyes off the photo and looked at Brooke the same way he looked at his gift. "She would have loved you," he told her. "Thank you."

He went back to admiring his present which left her with nothing to do but to watch him. She was so happy to see what a success her present was. She was even happier to have taken it away from Dan to give to Max. If there was one thing that Brooke was afraid of by marrying Lucas, it was that Dan would be her father-in-law, but of course, it wasn't that simple and there wasn't just one thing that she was afraid of.

"Do you have to leave?" Brooke asked.

It was time for Max to put his gift away. Wrapping it back in the torn wrapping paper, Max placed the picture on the empty seat next to him. He watched it for a moment after he set it down to make sure that it didn't slide off the cushion.

"Do you really have to go?" Brooke said. "Can't you just stay for a little while longer?"

The softness in her voice, the slight crack, the quiet plea, made Max nervous. It reminded him of their conversation last night under the canopy. "Brooke, I don't know what you want me to say. Why do you miss me so much? Why do you want me here so badly?"

There was hesitation. She had two major reasons. She didn't want to admit one but the other she was willing to disclose. Brooke took a sip of her mimosa hoping that it would give her some strength. "You have no idea how much Lucas loves you, how much he admires you."

He wasn't sure what he was expecting but his heart dropped nonetheless. "This is about Lucas?"

"I'm afraid I made a mistake," Brooke admitted. "I don't think I should have said yes."

Max sat obediently and waited for her to clarify.

"I'm losing him."

"I think you're confused," Max replied. "Lucas proposed to you. That's the complete opposite of losing him."

Your own reasoning always works out so much better in your own head.

"It was just the next thing to do," Brooke tried to explain, "but we're not ready."

Max should have been delighted but he wasn't. "You've been together for five years. I thought this is what you would expect by now."

"I would," Brooke agreed. "But not if I'm not sure of how much Lucas loves me or if he even really does."

"He proposed."

"He's just going through the motions. He's saying what I want to hear. He's doing what I want him to do."

"Why are you telling me all of this?"

Brooke shrugged. "You're one of my best friends…"

Max looked down.

"And you're his brother."

"Hardly," he scoffed. " I don't see what the problem is and I certainly don't know how I factor in."

"Lucas would come to you with everything if you let him."

It suddenly became clear.

"You want me to come home to be best friends with Lucas? You want him to confide in me and you want me to report back to you?" The lack of response was the answer Max didn't want. "I can't do that, Brooke. I can't be his best friend. I can't even be yours."

"What? Why not?'

"Because…" Max stopped a beat. "Because he asked you to marry him."

"What kind of reason is that?"

Max sighed heavily. "It's my reason."

"Not good enough. Why can't—"

"You've been asking too many questions, Brooke."

Unashamed, she laughed. "I've got plenty more."

Luckily for Max the server had finally arrived with their lunch. The conversation paused but Max hoped that it had stopped. Of course he knew he was wishing for the impossible. They had just received their food. There was no way the issue would be dropped. They were too far in so early in the meal that it couldn't be ignored.

Max proceeded to devour his lunch but as he held his burger up to his gaping mouth, he caught sight of Brooke looking down at her salad glumly. Instead of skewering at the duck breast neatly placed on the top of all the lettuce, Brooke pushed it around with her fork. Max placed his unbitten burger back onto his plate and dusted the sesame seeds off his finger tips.

"What do you want to know?" he asked.

Brooke quickly looked up. If a child had been giving their parent the silent treatment but made progress when it seemed that possibly their parent caved, the light they would have in their eyes was the same reflected in Brooke's.

"When did you go back to Japan?" she decided to ask first. She stabbed a piece of duck and a few leafs of lettuce and shoved them into her mouth while she waited for her answer.

"I went back after I graduated."

The math wasn't hard.

"You're telling me that you've been holding onto this for eight years?" Brooke asked holding up her wrist that wore the charm bracelet with the present from him attached.

Only a nod was returned.

"Why?" Brooke wondered. "Why did you hold onto it for so long? How come you never mailed it to me? Or why didn't you just give it to me when you did see me?"

"One question at a time."

"They're essentially the same question," Brooke bit back. "Just answer."

Max looked across the table at the vanishing salad on Brooke's plate. He slyly touched his burger. It was already getting cold. He was losing his appetite anyway. "You know," he said. "I'm not sure why. Maybe it wasn't the right time."

"What makes this the right time?"

Evaluating the moment, last night, and his stay in Tree Hill, Max shook his head. "It isn't," he told Brooke.

"So why give it to me finally?"

"I needed to get rid of it."

Brooke rolled her eyes. "Gee," she acted. "Thanks."

"I just needed to not have it anymore," Max restated.

It felt like a good time for an intermission. Max grabbed his burger and took a bite. Yes, it had gotten cold. All Max needed was a bite though. A bite would be good enough to keep his stomach satisfied. It would be enough to absorb the mimosa which he used to wash the burger down.

"Ok, so tell me," Brooke said. "Why can't you be Lucas's best friend? Or mine?" She spoke nonchalantly like Max told her that he couldn't pick her up at the airport or something non-significant like that and not that he couldn't be, and didn't want to be, Lucas's best friend or hers.

"Do you really want to know?"

Bringing her head down pretty deep, Brooke nodded emphatically. "Yes, it'd be nice to know why a person can't be someone's friend."

"If I tell you," Max warned her, "nothing will be the same. You're going to think about me differently. You'll look at me differently—"

"And the way you'll look at me?"

Max smirked but said, "Unfortunately, that'll stay the same."

She wanted to take offense but his soft smile told her that his statement wasn't necessarily a bad thing.

"Do you really want to know?" Max asked again.

Brooke swallowed hard. A leaf of lettuce coated in Caesar dressing slid down her throat. She couldn't even remember tasting it if you asked her. This time, Brooke's nod was more subtle and soft. Her hesitance wasn't a matter of reconsideration. She did want to know why, because not knowing would consume her even though she dealt with the issue nonchalantly. Her hesitance was because she was afraid of the answer. She had an inkling. She was afraid he would confirm the thoughts that she had been obsessing over for the past sixteen hours, since having a conversation with him last night under the canopy.

"The last time I came home," Max started, "I saw you after not having seen you for a few years, and you were different."

A fluttering in her heart made Brooke nervous yet flattered and hopeful at the same time. Her face felt warm. Not champagne-induced warm. Brooke took a sip of her ice water but it didn't help.

"I thought maybe it was something else," Max continued. "Maybe I was just waking up and noticing how beautiful you are, but amidst the panic in my head, I came to the conclusion that no, that wasn't what I was feeling. You've always been beautiful. That wasn't a new revelation."

Looking down at his uneaten burger, Max didn't think, _What a shame_. Max was envious, wishing he was anything else but the man sitting in front of the burger even if that meant being the burger.

"So then my fears were confirmed and that thing I didn't want to be feeling is what I was feeling. I kept trying to deny it, but I couldn't stop thinking about you. I tried to talk myself out of it. I kept telling myself that you were Lucas's girlfriend now and that we were childhood friends. I thought about walking you home every day after school until I realized that because of the talks we had on those walks, you were my best friend. So then I started to miss you and it just made everything worse. It was like I couldn't get around it."

Max gave her a shrug. He grabbed his empty water glass and held it in the air after catching the eye of a busboy. A moment later and water was falling into his glass from a perspiring metallic pitcher. Max took a sip to refresh his drying throat. The whole time he didn't look at Brooke. He didn't even look in her direction. She might as well have not been there, which we know Max wished was the case and Brooke wished it too. She was regretting her decision. She didn't want to know anymore, but it was too late and now everything had changed.

When he placed his water glass down where it once was, Max finally faced Brooke. "I never came home in the past five years because I _needed_ to stay away from here," he went on. "I _needed_ to stay away from _you_." He had said it kindly, not harshly, and he looked her in the eye when he admitted it, but then he started to stare at the orchid centerpiece between himself and Brooke. "I knew that they would be angry at me for pushing them away, but I would rather all of them be angry than Lucas hate me."

"Please," Brooke begged. "Just say it."


	11. Best Man

**11. Best Man**

Max took enough of a deep breath to dive a hundred feet under water. "I'm in love with you," he breathed out. He had looked her back in the eyes but the moment the words left his mouth, Max brought his eyes down to the bite out of his ahi burger.

If one's soul could be taken from them and then thrown back into their body, then that's what happened to Brooke. "Why did you tell me?" she asked. "Something this big, why would you tell me?"

"You wanted to know," Max coolly answered.

"You should have lied to me."

"Maybe I am."

Brooke's eyes widened with hope. "Are you?"

Max shook his head only slightly, wishing himself he was lying. "What answer would you have taken? You wanted me to be Lucas's best friend, but I can't because I'm in love with his fiancée."

With her elbows on the table and her face buried in her hands, Brooke shook her head. She did that for a while. Max could only sit uncomfortably across from her as she breathed heavily and mumbled into her palms. There wasn't even a point to deciphering the noises she was making but Max was hoping she would eventually say those things out loud. He needed to know what she was thinking.

"Brooke?"

"Are you sure you're in love with me?" Brooke wondered. Her palms were still pressed against her face.

"I am _trying_ to leave here as fast as I can."

Brooke pulled her hands away from her face. "Am I the reason why you and Liz—?"

"No," Max insisted. "Liz and I…" He regretfully started to shake his head. "It was a number of things that developed and just built up. She does know though."

"Liz knows?" The red in her cheeks wasn't blush. It'd be too red for her skin tone.

"She—I—" Max needed to make things better but he didn't know what to tell her. "She doesn't think you—She doesn't blame you. I don't blame you."

Brooke couldn't stop shaking her head. "None of that makes me feel any better."

"I told her about this later on in our problems."

"It doesn't matter when you told her," Brooke snapped. "It matters when you started to—when you began—" She couldn't even say it.

"I don't want to be in this position, ok?" Max tried to convince her. "I'm not Dan's biggest fan, but he is my father. So I came home. I was terrified. Not because of Dan, because he plays a very small role in why I stayed away from here. I was terrified because I was scared to see Lucas, but more importantly, I was afraid of who I was going to see him with. I was hoping—I was _praying_," he corrected. "I was _praying_ that I would see Lucas at the hospital and at dinner alone or with _anyone_ besides you. You have absolutely no idea how relieved I was when I didn't see you at the hospital. I was _thrilled_ when I went to dinner last night and I didn't see you." Max swallowed down hard and tried to re-gather his strength. "But then you showed up," he sighed.

Brooke watched him enthralled and reflective, as if she was sitting on a colorful carpet listening to Max read a fable during story time in the children's corner at the library. "What are we going to do?" she wondered.

His right eyebrow hiked up when he looked at Brooke. "What do you mean 'we'?"

"You have no idea how big a problem this is, do you?"

"What are you talking about?"

Brooke scoffed. "Max, I've loved you since I was five."

Max didn't buy into the end of the world, the whole apocalypse thing, but his world was crumbling around him, and it was sparked by love. Go figure. He hadn't anticipated that she had felt the same way toward him at some point in her life. "Do you still love me?" Max asked. He needed to hear a 'no.'

Her answer was the wrong one. "I don't know," she replied.

"You love Lucas," Max tried to instill in her. "You love him. You said yes to marrying him."

"Because I didn't know about you!" The volume of her voice alarmed even her. She looked around to see who else she startled. Quite a few.

"That doesn't even matter," Max said, lowering his own voice and leaning over the table allowing for Brooke to clearly hear him. "You and me. No."

"What?" There was disappointment in her voice. "Why?"

"No," Max said firmly. "Stop it. Stop hypothetically thinking about it. Don't hope for a possibility. Don't even try to picture it."

Brooke opened her mouth to speak but what came out was a musical chime. She brought her eyes to her purse and started searching for her phone. "It's Lucas," she announced when she studied the screen.

"Answer it."

"What do I say?"

Max rolled his eyes. "Anything. We have nothing to hide."

Brooke knew he was right, but not entirely. Yes, they weren't doing anything wrong, but—

The ringing stopped and both of them stared at the phone in Brooke's hand.

"Call him back," Max ordered.

"Chill out," Brooke laughed. She flipped her phone open ready to speed dial Lucas but a single chime stopped her. "Voicemail," she said. She put the phone to her ear. "He's on his way to see you," she reported back.

"What?"

"He wanted to know if I wanted to come with him." Brooke snapped her phone shut and looked to Max for an answer.

Max looked down at the table. Maybe the answers were on the linen? "Why is he coming to see me?" he wondered.

"Let's find out." Brooke already had her phone back to her ear and waited for Lucas to pick up. "Hey, Luke," she said. "Sorry I missed your call."

Meanwhile, Max was shifting uncomfortable in his seat.

"I'm actually with your brother right now," Brooke said into the phone.

Max swiped the back of his hand across his forehead. The thermostat on the wall would tell you that it was only 68 degrees inside.

"We had to exchange our gifts," she explained. "We just finished lunch at Bel. Ok, we'll see you soon."

Max watched the phone. Brooke snapped it shut. That meant the call ended. Lucas was no longer on the other line. "Why 'we'?" Max demanded to know. Apparently he wasn't much of a team player.

"Because I'm already here, and if I leave, he'll think something is up."

The busboy came to clean up the empty plate and the plate with most of the ahi burger still on it. Max thoughtfully grouped his utensils together on his plate so they wouldn't swing around or fly off the plate when picked up and carried back to the kitchen. Continuing his gesture of kindness and consideration, Max picked up the plate and carefully gave it to the young man. The plate nearly fell from Max's hand as soon as he finally processed Brooke's words.

"Why would he think something's up?"

"Lucas and I—" Brooke paused and sighed. "We try to be honest with each other. I don't hide a lot from him."

Translation: Lucas knows about Brooke's schoolgirl crush on Max.

"Why did you tell him you were here?"

"Because I obviously don't lie to him either, and you said we didn't have anything to hide."

"That was before—"

Max stopped when the server approached.

"Is there room for dessert?" he wondered.

"No," Max said quickly. Pretending to consider Brooke, he stared her down. He might as well have held a gun to her head.

Brooke offered a smile and shook her head. "No, thank you."

The server flashed a grin and placed the check on the table. Max said a kind "Thank you." His attitude changed as soon as the server walked away. Max's frustration was evident when he exaggeratedly opened the booklet and signed the check, billing it to his room. While he filled the slip out, Brooke playfully and slyly looked over the table to discover what kind of man Max was. The twenty dollar tip for a sixty dollar meal told Brooke something she always knew.

"I said we didn't have anything to hide," Max started back up, "because I didn't know Lucas knew." He slammed the booklet shut and tossed the pen carelessly as he stood up. He grabbed his birthday gift and started walking, expecting Brooke to follow him.

She took her time though, forcing Max to slow down and wait for her. "Geez, relax," she chuckled. "Your attitude right now is making me fall out of love with you more and more."

Max stopped and looked at her. His abrupt halt gave her a lead of a few steps. She stopped three feet ahead and turned toward him wondering what the hold up was.

"That is not funny," he told her.

Everything changed. Apparently Max's sense of humor did too.

"Look, I love _Lucas_," Brooke emphasized to avoid confusion, "and you love him too. We wouldn't do anything to hurt him. He knows that."

But Max wasn't so sure Lucas did. Lucas knew that Brooke wouldn't hurt him. Did Lucas know Max wouldn't hurt him?

Without a reply, Max started walking toward the entrance to the hotel. "Come on," he sighed. "Let's wait for him out front." Max conceded. He was done talking about it.

The humidity covered them like another layer of clothing. Add onto that the exhaust from the cars parked out front. People coming. People going. Valet and bellhops frantically sprinted everywhere they went. Everyone else around them just stood around. Waiting to come in. Waiting to go. Except Max and Brooke were waiting for Lucas.

"What are we going to do about this?" Brooke wondered.

She shattered the silence between them that Max was growing to enjoy. With his hands in his pockets, Max shrugged. He people-watched and didn't even face Brooke as they would imminently start up another conversation.

"We have to deal with this, Max. If I don't see you until the wedding—"

"There's going to be a wedding?" Max questioned. "So you are going to marry Lucas?"

Brooke was hesitant but she gave Max the answer he was hoping for. "Yes," she said.

"Then there you go," Max said, satisfied. "There's really nothing to do. You're going to marry my brother."

"And what about you?"

"What about me?" Said with another stupid shrug.

"So you're just going to leave?"

"What do you expect, Brooke? What do you want me to do? Do you want me to act on my feelings? Do you want me to fight for you? Will that make you feel better about yourself?"

The urge to physically hurt Max was the only thing on Brooke's mind, but she wisely restrained herself and impressively kept her composure. "Fuck you," she told him.

She was overcome with genuine shock and anger, something she had never felt toward Max. But then it became apparent. Max would never speak to her like that, not unless there was a purpose, besides being a dick, of course. If Brooke remembered her psychology 101 class right projection was, in fact, a defense mechanism. It was a brave effort on Max's part to be the bad guy in order to do the right thing, but should Brooke really have been surprised? It's the same thing he was doing with his family.

Unaffected by Brooke's hurt reaction, Max continued people-watching, searching and waiting for his brother to arrive.

"Fine," Brooke told him. "Go to New York or Los Angeles or wherever the hell you want to hide. Meanwhile Isabel's slipping away because of heartache. Michael's going to keep treating Maria the way that he does. And Nathan's going to panic and ruin every good thing going on in his life."

"Don't talk about my family."

"_Your_ family?" Brooke laughed. If he intentionally hurt her, she was going to intentionally hurt him. "Don't pull that crap 'cause I _am_ family. I've been family longer than you have." And she was right.

Since she was, Max didn't bother arguing that fact. "You're right," he told her. "I'm hardly family. So they'll be ok. They've done find without me, they will continue to. If I come home, I don't think there's any good that I can really do."

"And what about us?"

Max offered a kind smile. "There is no us, Brooke."

"So you're really going to go off and hide?"

"I have to." Again, he shrugged, because it was just no big deal. "Don't worry about me. That is the last thing you want to do."

Max stuffed his hands into his pockets and continued to scour the people around them. With her arms crossed in front of her chest, Brooke appeared to do the same, but she wasn't thinking about any of the people. She wasn't wondering where these people were coming from or what they were going to do at Bel. The thought on her mind was Max. She wondered how the last five years were for him and how he was going to keep living like that.

"I don't know how you're going to do it," she decided to say aloud. "How are you going to just to go on without confronting your feelings?"

"Do you really have to ask?" Max chuckled an almost condescending chuckle. "You did it for years."

Brooke opened her mouth to speak. She wanted to say something witty or smart but she had no comeback. He was so right. She had pushed her feelings aside, but she was a teenager back then, and while her emotions were real, it was easier for her to ignore them.

"Hey!" Lucas smiled. He approached with his arms open and wrapped them around his brother when they collided. "What are you guys doing out here?" He kissed his fiancée on the cheek and didn't witness his brother turn away.

Pretending to be distracted by a family unpacking their loaded van, Max shrugged. "Needed to walk the food off," he answered.

Brooke clearly recalled his uneaten burger, but she agreed nonetheless. "Big portions," she nodded, then she looked at her watch. "I better go. I'm getting my nails done at three."

It was hard to tell but Brooke's nails looked perfectly fine, but women and their nails…so Max welcomed the hug Brooke was going to leave him with. He kept himself from breathing to avoid inhaling her sweet scent of peaches, and the smell of the smoke from his cigarettes had grown on her, but she too, resisted the temptation.

"Travel safe," she told him, "and please keep in touch." She got on her toes and kissed Max's cheek.

He couldn't help but smirk. "Thank you for the birthday gift,." He looked her in the eyes, because despite his feelings of frustration and jealousy at the moment, Max was immensely grateful for the present she had given him.

"Thank _you_," she said back. They smiled at each other for two seconds that both of them cherished and savored. Afterward, Brooke turned toward her oblivious fiancé and rubbed cheeks with him. "Call me later."

"I'll be at my place, just come over."

"We're always at your place," Brooke sighed. "I want to be around my things, my bed."

Max shifted uncomfortably and let more tourists steal his attention.

"We go over this all the time. Just move in with me already," Lucas told her.

Brooke glanced at Max, realizing her disregard. "We'll talk about this later," she said.

She received a nod and a kiss on the forehead from Lucas. Max watched as she put on her smile and left them, backing up and waving from the hip as she did.

"So do you want to go for another walk or grab a drink?" Lucas asked Max.

Until she disappeared into the parking lot Max watched her but he had heard his brother and when he couldn't see her anymore, Max turned to Lucas and smiled.

"Let's have a drink."

The brothers walked into the hotel and headed straight to the bar. Max ordered a highball while Lucas opted for a whiskey sour.

"So what brings you here?" Max wondered.

Lucas sat huddled around his drink, his knee nervously bouncing and his stare focused on his glass.

"Are you ok?" Max asked.

Lucas confronted him. "You and I, we're not really brothers. Are we even friends? I don't know anything about you. I don't know how you feel about me. Do you even like me? Do you hate me?"

Max sat wide-eyed with his eyebrows nearly meeting at the bridge of his nose. "Lucas, I—"

"It has to change, this relationship between you and me." He shook his head regretfully.

Max let Lucas take his time.

After clearing his throat, Lucas spit it out. "I want us to actually be brothers."

A nervous laugh came from Max. "Lucas, I don't hate you."

For Lucas to think that, it broke Max's heart, but he shouldn't have been so surprised to hear it. Though Lucas made the kind gesture of welcoming Max into Dan's home all those years ago, Max willingly kept his distance from Lucas growing up. Max didn't want to get to know Lucas because Max resented Lucas for being, quite frankly, the bastard child Dan took into his home while Max disregarded at birth.

By the time Max realized it was a Godsend to spend his early years outside of the Scott home and that Lucas didn't choose to be chosen by Dan, it was too late. Max was in love with Brooke and there was no way Max couldn't face Lucas. It was another reason Max wanted to keep at bay, because not only was he in love with his brother's girl, he had punished Lucas for years for something he had no control over.

"Lucas, I don't hate you," Max said again. "I'm sorry my actions made it seem that way. I know that we're not close but I'm willing to change that."

"Good," Lucas smiled. "We're on the same page."

Max nodded.

"So will you do me a favor and be my best man?" Lucas asked.

No clear thought had entered Max's mind but he began to speak regardless. "Lucas, I—" Then slowly everything started to register. Lucas had just asked him to be his best man at his wedding where he was going to marry his girlfriend of five years, Brooke. Max could feel his heart break and in his silence he could hear his heart break. He shouldn't feel this way though. He wasn't supposed to be in love with his brother's fiancée.

"Of course," Max finally said. "I'd be honored."

The two brothers celebrated over the rest of their drinks before it was time for Max to gather his and his wife's things and head to the airport. Before leaving his hotel, Max said goodbye to his brother with Lucas insisting that Max keep in touch.

When Max arrived in New York, he gave Lucas a call, letting him know that he and Liz had arrived safely.


	12. Quiet Goodbye

**12. Quiet Goodbye**

The flight attendants were pleasant and helpful. They smiled and spoke kindly. They even gave Max and Liz extra bags of honey roasted peanuts.

The trip was quite short. There was minimal turbulence. It was a relatively smooth trip. There was plenty of leg room in first class and the dinner was superb, fine dining thousands of feet in the air.

It was a terrible flight.

Max and Liz spent those few hours in the air dreading the moment the plane touched down and the moment their cab would take them to their home. What was waiting for them was the penthouse they shared, the penthouse that tomorrow, or at least sometime in the near future, would be given to either Max or Liz, the penthouse that was full of things that would have to be divvied up.

Their vacation wasn't ideal and it wasn't long, but at least it wasn't New York. Funny how Max wanted to leave Tree Hill the moment he got there, something he desired until they finally left. He didn't take into account that after leaving one place you have to go to another, and the vacation needed to end, Max and Liz would have to go home. He just wished that he was anywhere with Liz besides Tree Hill, besides New York, because in both of those places they were the couple who were getting a divorce, and if they either stayed in Tree Hill or went back to New York, then they would have to face that reality and divvy up their things and decide who would get the penthouse.

It had been a long day. Max was an early to bed, early to rise man and Liz imagined curling up beside him and dozing off, but when they reached their home, neither of them made a b-line for the bed. They set their luggage aside to be unpacked the next day. Their dance of avoidance around the bed made it clear that neither of them wanted to climb in, but they wouldn't admit that to each other because they didn't want the following to be true: to be in bed would allow them to eventually drift to sleep and hours would pass bringing morning to the new day they didn't want to have to confront. So they left their things in their suitcases, and they could have easily stalled longer by unpacking but that clear action of reluctance would have made everything more apparent. Instead, they went through the regular routine of preparing for bed.

While Liz went back to the lobby to retrieve the mail that had accumulated over the past week, Max showered the scent of airplane cabin off his body. Liz was placing the stack of envelopes and catalogs on the nightstand next to Max's favorite chair as he stepped out of the shower. After he slid into a pair of boxers, Max took a seat in the leather chair. He read through the bills, the event invitations, the coupons and the announcements and flipped through a catalog from William Sonoma. He would need new furniture to fill his house in Los Angeles since he was planning on giving Liz the penthouse and everything in it. This he decided while in the shower. It would just be easier that way. He didn't want to make things difficult for Liz. The chair in which he sat in, though, that he would keep.

Liz came out of the bathroom wearing a wife beater and a pair of Max's boxers. They rested low on her waist so much that the top of her hip bone was exposed. When she came into view, Max put the catalog down and watched her brush her teeth. She looked at herself in the mirror while she scrubbed. It was during the gargling of Listerine that she looked at Max and winked, giving him a smile with her cheeks full of mouthwash. It could have been the strength of the Listerine but Max believed he saw tears in her eyes.

While Liz cleaned up and shut the lights off, Max got to his feet but remained where he stood. Normally Liz would have walked straight to her side of the bed after leaving the bathroom but the sight of Max just standing in the sitting room caused her to change her course. He was no longer watching her but the ground instead, and he scratched the back of his head as he did. Liz approached him and, even when she stood right in front of him, he didn't appear to see her until she put his hands on his waist.

"Hi," she said.

It was the first thing either of them had said to each other in hours. They got on the plane in silence. They sat through the flight in silence. Max spoke to Lucas over the phone when they arrived at JFK. And then it was back to silence. Some moments, like on the plane or in the cab, they were unsure if the other had dozed off or not, but most of the time they remained silent, savoring these last moments together. Small talk would only ruin it all.

"Hi," Max whispered back. He put on a smile.

Liz stepped into Max closer, pressing her body against his. "What are you thinking?" she asked.

Max surely wasn't going to tell her everything on his mind. They didn't have enough time left with each other to do so. He would tell her what was relevant and important in this moment.

"I'm thinking I'm going to leave for L.A. tomorrow," he told her.

Liz looked up at him, reading him to see if he was bluffing, to see if he was looking for a reaction from her. He wasn't bluffing. He wasn't waiting for anything from her. She lowered her head, stopping when her forehead rested against Max's chest. His hands rubbed up and down her back as he placed a kiss amidst her milk chocolate brown hair.

"Are we doing the right thing?"

Though her words were muffled Max heard her. "I would fight for you," he said when she looked up at him. "But it would be selfish of me, and definitely not fair to you."

In a flare of anger and frustration Liz slapped her hands against Max's chest and pushed herself away. He felt the sting of the contact but more hurt came from seeing Liz's hurt.

"Why did you have to fall in love with her?" Liz demanded to know. Now the tears were actually there.

Max couldn't bear to look at her. He couldn't answer her either. So Max kept quiet and stared at the ground.

"Am I not good enough?" Liz cried. "Am I not pretty enough?"

"Liz, you know that's not the case," Max immediately replied. This was probably the 42nd time they had this fight and revisited these feelings. "No one is better than anyone. I love you desperately…" He paused a beat and swallowed hard. "But I love her too."

As she bobbed her head in understanding, Liz wiped her tears away. "And that's something I can't deal with."

"I know," Max nodded. "And so we find ourselves in this position."

Liz walked back over to Max, getting comfortable in his arms. For maybe ten minutes they stood there quietly in each other's embrace. Eventually Liz's tears dried and what would keep her warm was a comforter and not Max's arms. She patted his side, a gesture that asked him to open his arms and release her. Max watched as she walked to their bed with her eyes staring down at her fingers fiddling. She climbed in, facing away from the center of the bed, away from Max's side. When he joined her, he rested on his side and looked at the back of her head. Only a few seconds had passed before he flipped over on his back and stared at the ceiling.

Tomorrow he would be on a plane flying across the country. Tomorrow he would be falling asleep in a different bed in a different home in a different state. Alone.

Not long after he had moved to whatever position he settled into, Liz turned around and saw her husband still awake. She sat up, grabbed his face, and planted a kiss on his lips, tearing up as she did. With her eyes closed so tight, her tears dripped onto his face. There was nothing said. Nothing needed to be.

Liz lifted his arm and settled into the nook his body created. She rested her cheek against his chest and fell asleep with her tears smeared where their skin touched.

It would take a while for Max to close his eyes and drift off. It was a horrible night's sleep.


	13. Return Again

**13. Return Again**

Max had every intention of going back to Tree Hill.

Honestly.

He just didn't think he'd be back six weeks after leaving it. Not this soon.

Yes, six weeks was too soon.

It was a déja vu moment. Max found himself back in the elevator in Tree Hill Memorial anxiously waiting for the doors to open. He felt that same apprehension and uneasiness he felt six weeks ago.

There were some noticeable differences between then and now, though. Take for instance the darker tone of Max's skin acquired from spending time in the warmer, sunnier climate of Los Angeles, California. However, what the reporters lingering outside the hospital would notice is that this time, Max was unaccompanied.

Though they were famous for their individual success and success as a power couple, Max and Liz were never sought after like other socialites. So the news of their divorce wasn't Page Six news. Maybe there were some rumblings about trouble in their marriage but it was one of those situations where Max and Liz kept their private life closely guarded no one would know the truth unless Max and Liz themselves confirmed it.

But now, Max arrived to the hospital alone. The rumblings grew stronger. The murmurs louder. Of course, Max didn't say a word as he pushed past the reporters. He actually didn't seem fazed by them. There was the possibility…No, scratch that. Max was sure that the papers would write something about the absence of his (estranged) wife, but that wasn't what was primarily weighing him down.

How does a man have two heart attacks within six weeks? You have one and you learn a lesson. You take care of yourself. You become cautious. You become healthier. All of this especially if the reason for the initial heart attack was known. But no, Dan managed to have a second heart attack.

Max strolled out of the elevator and to the waiting room where he, again, found his siblings. Isabel and Nathan had the same worry they had six weeks ago, and this time, Lucas and Michael looked just as concerned. Isabel paced while the three boys sat scattered, all keeping to themselves, all of them deep in thought.

"Hey," Max said. He drew their attention and received their hugs. "What did Dr. Coughlin say?"

"We haven't been able to talk to her," Isabel answered, "but one of the other doctor's said it was Dan's heart condition."

"I didn't know."

Max looked to his baby brother.

Nathan shook his head continuously, his jaw bouncing as if to speak but no words besides, "I didn't know," continued coming out.

"This isn't your fault," Lucas said, trying to comfort him. "None of us knew he was sick."

Max swallowed the lump in his throat. "What happened exactly?"

"We were playing ball," Nathan started to explain. "We were tied and he just kept pushing and pushing." He ran his hands through his hair. "I didn't know it would hurt him."

"He shouldn't have been playing," Michael said. "Dan should have known better."

"It isn't Dan's fault," Isabel said.

"Except it is."

Max brought his attention to Lucas. Suddenly Max's stomach was turning. His heart was racing. He was using all his might to keep his whole body from shaking because of the anxiety. Max hated this feeling. He hated that it was brought on because of Lucas.

"Michael's right," Lucas continued. "What business does Dan have playing basketball so soon after a heart attack?"

"He said he was fine."

"Since when do you trust what Dan says?" Michael asked Nathan. "If you have any fault, it's that you let him con you."

Nathan turned away and started pacing. He angry expression wasn't directed at Michael or anyone but himself.

"His heart condition," Max started, "what did the doctor say about it?" He started to grow more and more anxious.

"It's um…" Isabel's eyes rolled up as she tried to recall the doctor's words. "HCM. He said it was HCM. The outside lining of his heart is thicker than normal. His heart has to work harder to function. When he was playing basketball, his heart exhausted itself."

"I should've eased up," Nathan said.

"Nate, shut up," Michael sighed. He redirected his attention to Max. "One of us has it."

Max's heart dropped. "What?"

Had they taken the tests and found out the results?

"One of us _might_ have it," Isabel corrected.

Lucas turned to his sister and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Isabel, the chances are against us."

Their sister took a deep breath. Her eyes nervously, worriedly wandered around.

"So we don't know ," Max said. He felt an odd, misplaced sense of relief.

"We'll find out in a couple of weeks," Lucas said. "You're the only one who has to take the test."

Max's anxiety was at its peak. No one likes to confront their fears, their faults, their regrets. There was absolutely no good that would come of this. At least one of them would discover that their heart was broken.

"Are we allowed to see Dan?" Max demanded to know.

Before he even got a reply, Max started to walk toward the corridor he had gone down once before. None of his siblings objected. They were unprepared for and shocked by Max's actions and determination. They remained where they stood and watched as their oldest brother disappeared into the hallway.

After peering into the windows of the doors, Max discovered where Dan lied asleep. He examined his father's pallid face. The beep of the machine was steady. His chest moved up and down in a comforting rhythm. It appeared as though Dan would be ok, or as ok as he was going to be.

"How dumb are you to play basketball with Nathan so soon after your first heart attack?" Max said to his unconscious father. "What were you thinking?"

Slowly, Dan opened his eyes. Max grew nervous. Because he woke his father? Because his father had heard him? He didn't know.

But when Max's father opened his eyes, Max could see the lack of compassion, the lack of remorse, the lack of love…the same look that had always been in Dan's eyes. Max saw that look and his nervousness went away. Instead, Max's own eyes mirrored his father's.

"I was thinking," Dan struggled to whisper, "that I am a 48-year-old man with a heart condition, and I don't want to be that man."

"Basketball with your Division I playing son wasn't going to change that," Max replied, "and if you don't want to be that man, then there is a lot more for you to prove other than being able-body."

Dan let out a weak chuckle. "There is a lot I want to change, but it won't make a difference if people won't accept that."

"You're not trying to change. If you were, you wouldn't have played basketball, landing you here again. You would've taken care of yourself. So, no, you're not trying to change. You're looking for attention."

"I'm the mayor of Tree Hill. Why would I want attention?" Dan's words were slow and careful.

"You might have the attention of the Tree Hill population but your kids could hardly give a damn about you." Max had thought about the words before they escaped his mouth. Yet he still let them go. He didn't care if he was going to hurt his father or if his father was going to hate him. He didn't care. "Your children have grown up. They all lead their own lives." As Max vocalized his thought process, he came to a realization. "You're not angry because Nathan married young. You're angry because he's married, period. He's grown up like the rest of us and now you're alone. He has someone to go home to. We all have someone to go home to."

"Who do you have to go to home to?"

Dan may have been weak but he was still sharp. He delivered a blow that stunned Max and made his son realize how alike the two of them were. It shut Max up. There was no quick retort. Max stood there as if he was just delivered devastating news, and in a way, he was.

Max swallowed the lump in his throat and stared his father down. "You know what? I haven't thought too much about the dealership since you told me you were giving it to me but now, I think I know what I'm going to do about it. I'm selling it." He hoped that that would have some sort of effect on Dan.

Dan coughed out a laugh. "You sell it and you sell Nathan's inheritance." Dan was just too good. He was always ten steps ahead.

"What are you talking about?"

Before answering, Dan took in a few deep breaths. "You might not think so, but I do have good intentions. I might not show it but my will does. I've been following everything you all do and change my will accordingly."

"You're basing our inheritance on whether we're naughty or nice?"

"Not exactly." Dan chuckled a little easier this time. "I based your inheritances on what you all are doing with your lives. As you garnered more and more success over the years, I've reduced how much money you would receive from me."

Max crossed his arms as he rolled his eyes.

"You don't need money from me, Max. Why would you want me to give it to you when your brothers and sister might need it more than you. Don't you think that's a little selfish?"

Max narrowed his eyes at his father.

"Monetarily, I reduced what I was going to give you," Dan continued, "but I'm still leaving you crucial investments, like the dealership, because I want you to nurture it. You're a businessman, Max; a better one than I could ever be."

"So explain to me how your plan works," Max said, shaking his head in confusion. He grabbed the stool in the room and brought it closer to Dan's bed. "I'm not sure I understand."

Dan got comfortable and took a few breaths. It seemed as though everything was getting easier for him by the second. "Max, you are wealthy man. You don't need my money. Isabel's a lawyer but raising a family has always been her desire, Michael is an alcoholic architect who's letting his habit get in the way of his work, Lucas is a writer who's getting married, and Nathan's a college basketball star with promise of making it into the NBA. Each of them will receive a cut of my money when I go."

Max sat next to his father's bed listening intently.

"As of now," Dan went on, "Isabel gets 20 percent. Michael 15. Lucas 30. Nathan 35. If Nathan gets drafted, like you, he won't need my money. I'll change allotments accordingly, but my money can't take care of them for the rest of their lives and I am aware that your futures could change drastically. Nathan could get hurt…Lucas may not be able to make a living off his writing…Anything could happen."

"The dealership," Max started to catch on.

Dan nodded. "The value of the dealership belongs to Nathan. Should Nathan go professional, the dealership then goes to Isabel."

"Why not Lucas or Michael?"

"I guess now is as a good a time as any to tell you that Keith's Garage and the beach house are going to be under your care as well."

Max tossed his head back.

"The value of the garage belongs to Lucas and Michael the beach house."

All Max could do was shake his head in disbelief as he stared at a spot on the ground. He let everything settle in his mind. He couldn't believe it. He couldn't believe his father formulated this plan.

"You've made me responsible for them," Max realized out loud.

"Yes," Dan nodded. "I've made you responsible for your siblings."

It was absolutely brilliant. Dan was a genius. This made up for all the years of him being the crappy father he was. Max had gone on believing that Dan didn't give two shits about any of them, but Dan did because he had thought of this intricate plan that would bring Max back to his siblings and force him to be the big brother he is.

"There are conditions, of course."

"Of course," Max repeated with a scoff.

Dan cleared his throat. He grimaced as he did. "I want Isabel to have children, biological or adopted. She shouldn't give up on being a mother. If her inheritance can serve as an incentive, then it will." He smiled at the thought of his only daughter with children, but then a look of consternation appeared. "Michael gets nothing unless he's sober. Lucas must have at least one novel complete before he can receive anything and Nathan must graduate." Dan looked at his oldest son and sighed satisfied. "And if life circumstances are drastically different than what I established in my will, then you, as trustee, will be responsible for dividing my assets how you see fit."

"And you trust me to do that?"

Dan gave one solid nod. "You're my son."

Max continued shaking his head as he stood. He continued staring at the ground as he did. He continued to be in this realm of disbelief and shock. Who knew? Who knew that Dan was capable of caring to this degree?

Unable to completely grasp the idea, Max started to back out of the room.

Dan could only watch from the confinement of his bed. "I failed you as a father," he said, "because I wasn't there when you were younger, but I was there for the rest of them…I did take care of them. I do take care of them, and even if you don't think so, you too."

Max backed out into the corridor and turned away, eager to return to his siblings. He wouldn't disclose to them what he learned until the time was right, and now just wasn't the right time. It wasn't because Max himself was still trying to comprehend the concept of a considerate Dan Scott, it was because Max was going to confront another matter before even being able to mention Dan's will.

"You knew!"

Max didn't even see Nathan coming at him. By the time he realized who grabbed him by the collar, Max was already pinned against the wall. Nathan was holding him there and behind him were the rest of them. Lucas or Michael didn't even attempt to hold their baby brother back and Isabel didn't object.


	14. Hidden Truths

**14. Hidden Truths**

"You knew," Nathan growled. "You knew and you didn't tell us."

There was no fighting back from Max. "How did you find out?"

Michael scoffed. "Dr. Coughlin, dumbass. We just spoke to her, told her we just took the test. She was surprised to learn that none of us had taken it prior to today."

"And we hadn't because we didn't know about the HCM," Lucas said. "But apparently you did."

"How could not tell us?" Isabel demanded to know.

Max was still pinned against the wall with Nathan's forearm pressed firmly against his chest. Nathan leaned in toward his oldest brother, applying more weight. Max took a few deep breaths to adjust. He could've fought back. He may have been the shortest of the brothers, coming in at four inches shorter than Nathan, the tallest, but Max had enough muscle to make up for the height difference.

Nathan leaned in a little more.

Suddenly, Max began to wonder if he would be able to take his brother down. Seems Nathan put on a little weight these past five years.

"What if I have it?" Nathan growled. "That could've been me in there."

"But it's not. If you have it, you could've been in here tens of times," Max rationalized, "but you haven't. You're not sick."

"You don't get it," Nathan chuckled. "The rest of my life depends on this. I _need_ to know if I've got this. Just because I haven't had a hard time before doesn't mean that I don't have it. I can't go on believing that I don't. I need to know for sure."

"But if you have it…" Max said slowly. He stopped and reconsidered his words. He looked at each of his siblings. "If any of you have it...and I don't?" Max brought his eyes down and shook his head. "It's not fair."

Nathan eased up, albeit slightly. "Do you think it'll be fair if you do have it? It won't be. None of this is."

"We're all the same," Lucas said. "No one deserves this."

"Besides Dan," Michael scoffed.

"Michael!" Isabel scolded. "Don't say that."

But Michael just rolled his eyes. "It's not like I'm wishing it upon him. He already has this thing."

While Isabel slapped the back of Michael's head and set him straight, Nathan leaned on Max a little more, getting closer to his brother. His own face only inches from Max's. He needed his brother to hear him. He needed Max to understand how vital the test and its results were and not to just them individually, but to each other. They were a family, they were going to be there for one another. If Max didn't want to know, Nathan did.

"You have to take the test," Nathan said. "If not for yourself, then for me…for Isabel, for Michael, for Lucas… Look, it sucks that you had to come back under these circumstances, but I'm happy to see you again. I'm not going to pout that you're not around enough because I understand why and I understand why you have to live in L.A. Just know that I worry when you're living your life apart from ours. Now, knowing that you could have HCM, I'm going to worry even more. If you don't take the test and we don't know if you have it or not, you're going to leave me a wreck, Max. We can't lose you. We need you."

If only Nathan knew just how much. Max couldn't deny that Nathan had a point.

"Ok," Max nodded. "I'll take the test."

A relieved smile appeared on Nathan's face and then Max's as Nathan finally eased off. Max took a long awaited deep breath as they headed to the doctor's office. The whole way and up until the testing was over would Max breathe deeply. The last time he was that nervous was six weeks ago…on the day he left…when he had lunch with Brooke.

"That wasn't so bad, was it?"

Nathan gave a couple of hefty pats on Max's back as Max buttoned up his shirt. Max chuckled only to amuse Nathan.

The two brothers walked out of the examination room together. They hadn't said much during the testing, not that Max was really allowed to speak, but still. Nathan felt that there was some sort of tension.

"Are you mad at me?" he wondered. "I just want what's best for—"

Max looked beside him. Walking tall was his little brother. There was no way Max could ever be mad at Nathan, so Max shook his head.

"If you are," Nathan went on, "I can take it, but just tell me. You didn't even look at me in there."

"I'm not mad," Max laughed. "I was just nervous."

Nathan bobbed his head in understanding. He fiddled with the wedding ring around his finger. He was still trying to get used to the feeling of it. "I'm nervous about this whole thing," he admitted.

"I know that we don't know for sure unless we see those results," Max started, "but I really feel, and I really hope, that you don't have it."

Nathan continued to let his head nod up and down. "I just can't help my mind from thinking the worst, you know? What if Dan had died? What if the next one…"

Max shook his head and rolled his eyes. "Two heart attacks in a six week span and he's still alive? Dan's not going anywhere."

"He's more susceptible than most," Nathan reasoned. "And whichever one of us that has it… This whole thing just has me thinking."

"About…?"

"I need to make everything worth it." This whole time, a profound expression covered Nathan's face as he stared dead ahead, not really staring at much of anything. "Every move. Every dribble. Every shot. Every choice."

Max laughed and slapped his hand against his brother's back a few times. "I think you're a little young to be having a midlife crisis."

Nathan chuckled and shook his head. "I just want everything important to me to matter."

"Understandable."

After a deep breath, Nathan finally looked at his big brother. "I want a wedding."

Max's eyes widened in surprise. Never did he think the conversation was heading in that direction.

"Haley and I married in front of a judge in City Hall. I feel like I'm cheating both of us from experiencing the best of this really great moment in our lives."

Max smirked to himself while he listened. He wasn't the best brother because he was never around, but when he was, Max was a good brother, a good man. He listened and he picked up on things. He read his siblings well. He was understanding and considerate. With his siblings, he had a heightened sense of conscientiousness. Sometimes—A lot of times, Max just didn't use these traits to his advantage.

Listening to his brother speak about his wife, Max could hear it. "You really love her, don't you?" he said.

Nathan stopped and turned to Max, a smile on his face. "More than you know. Always and forever."

Max looked into his brother's eyes, studied the smile on his face, and nodded. "Ok," he said satisfied. "If you want a wedding, then you'll get one."

Nathan's smile stretched wider. He threw his arms around Max and squeezed tight. Max returned the embrace with a grin just as wide. If this great feeling was how it was being a brother, Max had missed out on many lost opportunities. It felt amazing to make someone that happy.

But just as the boys returned to the waiting room, that feeling went away for Max. Isabel, Michael, and Lucas continued to wait where Max and Nathan had left them. Joining them were Maria and Brooke. Suddenly, Max started breathing heavily and that feeling of content he experienced just seconds ago became forgotten. Nathan approached without skipping a beat while Max's pace slowed.

Max kept his eyes on Brooke, watching as she rested so comfortably in Lucas's arms. He couldn't see her face. He didn't want to. But as Nathan and Max drew closer, Lucas noticed. He smiled and turned toward them, turning Brooke toward them as well. Max would notice the look on her face first. It broke his heart. She wasn't surprised to see him. Lucas must have told her Max had arrived, so she must have prepared herself because no, she wasn't surprised or happy to see him or any expression of the sort. Instead, she had one of those avoidance looks. The one where you pretend like you don't know someone. The feeling it gave Max was the extreme opposite to the joy he felt earlier.

It made the awkward greeting hug even more awkward, but Brooke tried her best to not make it seem that way. After Maria hugged Max, Brooke willingly, without hesitation or pause, walked to Max and hugged him tight.

"Lucas told me what's going on," she offered.

When they pulled away, Max only bobbed his head.

"How are you?"

"I won't know until a couple of weeks," Max shrugged.

"I meant in general."

Max's eyebrows lifted. "Oh. Um, I've been ok." Out of nervousness, he cleared his throat. "I mean, I am ok."

Brooke smirked sympathetically and the silence between them settled in. They quickly looked to the others and listened to their conversations hoping that they'd be able to jump in and escape being outside observers. No such luck. So Max decided to grow a pair.

"How've you been?" he asked Brooke.

She offered a kind smile and shrugged. "Ok, considering."

Max nodded as if he understood, and of course we all know he did.

"Are you worried?" Brooke decided to ask, taking over the conversation.

"About the results?"

Brooke nodded.

After some reluctance, Max nodded back. "What about you?" he wondered.

"Of course," she replied succinctly. "I'm afraid for all of you."

"It is treatable."

"Treatable isn't curable," Brooke began to panic. "Who knows what could happen?"

Max chuckled at her deep concern. While he knew this was no laughing matter, Max also knew that HCM was something that could be handled and taken care of, as long as none of them acted as Dan did. Seeing a reaction to the whole ordeal from someone who wasn't directly affected was, in an odd way, refreshing. Not in a positive sense but in a sense of better understanding, because the situation suddenly becomes different when an outsider thinks horribly of it when you know it's only mildly horrible.

"How's the apprenticeship going?" Max asked, changing the subject.

A smile appeared on what was once Brooke's worried face. "I've been designing a collection and Donovan is going to help me find a place to show it."

"That's great, Brooke. You're making strides."

She continued smiling, trying her best to tone it down. She hid her teeth but her dimples were as evident as the happiness in her eyes. It was contagious. Max tried to keep his smile to a smirk but he was proud of her. He couldn't help feeling this way. It was natural. Everything he felt when he looked at her was.

And in the way he looked at her, Brooke could see it. Brooke could see that, to him, she was the only one in the room.

Brooke leaned in toward Max. "Can I talk to you for a second?" She looked at the others around her and after noticing their worry over other issues, she grabbed Max's arm and pulled him over to some chairs just down the row from where they once were.

When they sat down, Brooke, again, looked at the others in the room. Isabel and Nathan stood close together, concern on their faces while they were deep in discussion. Maria sat with Michael. She combed her hand over his shaved head and placed a lingering kiss on his temple. Michael closed his eyes as she did, as if savoring the kiss. Brooke witnessed the sweet exchange and smiled. She brought her gaze around the room until she found Lucas off in a corner by himself on the phone.

Even if anyone noticed, no one would be suspicious that Brooke and Max distanced themselves from the others.

But maybe someone should have been.

Brooke turned toward Max and leaned in slightly. "Tell me the truth: how have the past six weeks been for you?"

"What are you talking about?" he replied shaking his head.

"You said you've been ok," Brooke started to clarify, "but you have to explain what 'ok' means. Do you have any idea how the past six weeks have been for me?"

Max nervously swallowed the lump in his throat.

Brooke explained. "I didn't say any of this at the lunch we had because there was just too much going on in my head at that moment. I needed time to process things." She took a deep breath and started. "Six weeks ago, you finally come home. First, it's the fact that I finally have the chance to see you after five years but I don't. I didn't get to see you. The day you arrived, Lucas told me you were not only back home but you were going to hang around for a few days, do you know how happy I was?"

"Brooke…" Max protested.

"I thought that maybe we could spend time with you," she went on, "but I was afraid to call you because…" She didn't know how to put it. "…because you're a busy man. You didn't have time for us for the past five years. I thought maybe you wouldn't have time for us even while you were here."

"Brooke…" Max said again.

And again, Brooke continued without acknowledging Max's plea. "So I was going to settle with seeing you on our birthday, because that was more than enough for me. Do you remember the last time we spent our birthday together?"

"The birthday before I left for college," Max answered swiftly.

"Twelve years ago," Brooke nodded. "So imagine how happy I was to see you on our birthday. It was the best birthday present I could ever hope for."

"Brooke, you have to stop this."

She didn't listen to him. "I understand now why you didn't bother calling me prior to the dinner, why we didn't see each other until then. When we were outside that night, under the canopy, I told you that I missed you. And I still do. Terribly. Even when I know what I know now."

Max dropped his head, unable to look Brooke in the face, unwilling to let her see his.

"And then it's what you said while you were here," Brooke said. "You announce that you and Liz are getting divorced and then the next day you tell me…" She glanced up at him flustered and then went back to talking to his chest. "…you tell me that you have feelings for me and then you shut me out and then you're gone. I don't hear from you until now and if Dan hadn't had his heart attack, how long would it have been until I would have been able to talk to you about this? And what makes things worse is you've been in touch with Lucas and he always tells me when you call him. He'll say, 'I spoke to Max.' Or 'Max called.' And he's happy."

To this, Max winced.

Brooke looked back up again, but this time, she kept her eyes on Max's. "Now that I have this information, knowing how you feel about me. It kills me. And I don't blame you for telling me because I said that you could and on a weird level, I'm glad you did. But it kills me," she said again. "I need to talk about this." She let out an exasperated sigh and gave the floor to Max.

He shook his head. "We can't."

His answer discouraged her. "You can't tell me that this hasn't been weighing you down."

If there was anyone who understood her stress and frustration, of course it was Max. He was just doing a better job at dealing with it, at least on the outside. On the inside, it was a marvel for someone to be that much of a wreck and still be sane. The tactic Max used to cope with the issue was avoidance. He spent the past six weeks absorbed in his work. There wasn't any time for Max to dwell on the issue. So maybe that's why all the stress and frustration festered inside of Max, but that's where it would continue to stay.

Max shifted uncomfortably and sat up straight, putting some distance between himself and Brooke. "I have to get past this," he said. "I can't do that if I think about it or talk about it."

"You're just going to pretend it isn't there?"

"How did you deal with it then?" Max asked her. "When you were younger, how did you deal with your feelings for me?"

"I talked to someone."

Max's eyes widened. "Lucas?"

"No, Peyton."

Genuine concern appeared on Max's face. "And that helped?"

Brooke nodded.

And Max took it into consideration. Peyton was Brooke's best friend and Lucas's ex. Max knew her well. He didn't doubt that Peyton was a good soundboard, but she was a neutral party. She had a relatively unbiased opinion about the issue. That, and they were teenagers at the time.

This was a completely different scenario. Max couldn't talk things out with Brooke when she was the one he had feelings for. Who knows what that might lead to?

"At least tell me something," Brooke suggested. "Just one thing. Maybe it'll help you."

"I don't think it will."

Brooke sighed. "Ok, I'll share something with you." She once again studied the room around her and found herself in the clear to reveal just one of many thoughts that she had intended to keep close to her heart. Brooke turned back to Max, looked him in the eyes and took a deep breath. "In the past six weeks, I—"

"Stop," Max told her. "You've already told me too much."

She stopped mid word. Max couldn't allow her to make the revelation. Earlier she insinuated that the past six weeks had unnerved her and knowing that she had been thinking about him and the issues… It made Max nervous. For her to elaborate even more or possibly disclose something new… Max wouldn't be able to handle it. He wouldn't know how. He didn't want that feeling of not knowing how to obtain control.

There was just no easy way to deal with this. Max would need to confront the issue somehow. So just deal with it, he figured. If he had to talk about it to get over it, then fine, he would talk about it, but he wouldn't allow Brooke to share her side of things. He was going to keep what little control he had left.

"If we're going to do this talking thing," Max started, "we have to pretend that things aren't how they are. You have to be Peyton in this equation. You can't be Brooke. You can't be the girl who had a crush on me when she was younger or the girl who's marrying my brother or the one I have feelings for. I talk to you, you listen. You give me your opinions but only as if you were an outside party. I don't want to know what Brooke is thinking or feeling."

Without hesitation, Brooke nodded.

Max took a deep breath and studied the room much like Brooke had done. He cleared his throat and glanced into Brooke's eyes before looking down at his hands. "To tell you the truth," he said, "I haven't thought about you or this issue in the past six weeks."

When Max looked back at Brooke, he saw her disappointment. He expected as much. He wished he didn't though and he wished she wasn't discouraged.

Max went on. "I threw myself into work," he said. "I didn't allow myself to think about this or you, because if I did, I would become a man I don't want to be."

"And that is?"

He looked her in the eyes. "I don't want to be the man who wants his brother's fiancée." He went back to looking at his hands in his lap. " To be in love with you is one thing. To want you makes it worse."

Brooke watched as Max nervously fiddled with his fingers as he sat beside her. "Do you want me?" she asked.

Max looked up with a disapproving look on his face. "The rules, Brooke."

"Ok," she said rolling her eyes. "Do you want Brooke?"

Though she thought she was being clever the stern look on Max's face remained.

"If I was Peyton or anyone else besides me, that's something I would ask."

"Well, if you were Peyton or anyone else besides you, then maybe I would answer." Max started shaking his head. "This wasn't a good idea."

Brooke didn't respond. She remained silent, thinking to herself that maybe Max was right. It was probably a good idea for Max to talk things out but not with her. To hear him make such admissions made Brooke feel things she shouldn't be feeling.

The two of them sat quietly. Neither looking at the other. Each thinking their own thoughts. Were they to share those thoughts, Max and Brooke would realize they were thinking the same thing.

"Sucks, doesn't it?"

Both Max and Brooke looked up at the same time to find Lucas standing in front of them. They sat up straight and put on smiles.

"Hey," Max said. "What sucks?"

"Being in the hospital again," Lucas elaborated.

Max studied the time on his wrist and looked around at his brothers and sister waiting around. "How much longer do you think we'll be here?"

"Dr. Coughlin is assessing Dan," Lucas answered. "She's going to let us know how long he has to stay and then I'm heading out. Dan seems like he'll be fine. I don't think any of us need to hang around."

Max bobbed his head in agreement and understanding.

"Are you staying at Bel?" Brooke asked.

"I hadn't planned on staying," Max shook his head. "I didn't bring anything."

"Why don't you stick around until Dan gets out?" Lucas said. "You can borrow some of my clothes. I could use your help while you're here."

Max looked up, giving his attention to his brother.

"Wedding stuff," Lucas clarified.

Slowly, Max brought his stare down. He swallowed the lump in his throat and attempted to look in Brooke's direction. He decided against doing so. Eventually, he brought his head back up and smiled at his brother.

"Sure," he said reluctantly. "I think I can stay until Dan gets out."

A wide grin stretched out on Lucas's face. "Great! I have a few calls to make. Want me to call Bel? Or hey, why don't you just stay at my place?"

"Nah," Max quickly replied while managing to successfully hide the urgency of his refusal. "I don't want to impose. I can stay at Bel."

"Ok," Lucas nodded, the smile still on his face. "I'll give the hotel a call."

Max said thanks as Lucas walked off. He watched his brother for a second before staring back down at the ground. He could feel Brooke watching him. He kept his eyes on the ground.

"He's happier when he talks to you," Brooke said. When he didn't reply or even look at her, Brooke felt inclined to go on. "And I am too."

No longer did Max glare at his feet. His head snapped in Brooke's direction. She would receive his glare.

"I can't help it," Brooke explained. "You might not like to hear it but you were a part of my life, Max, and you still are. Just because you go into hiding doesn't mean you aren't anymore. I've missed you and I'm happy you're back. Every time I get to see you, talk to you, it's not often. So I'm happy when I'm fortunate enough to be with you."

Max softened his stare. "You really shouldn't be telling me stuff like that, Brooke."

"Look, I'm not sure what I want or what I'm feeling," she said, "but I'm not intentionally leading you on or anything like that. I just wanted to let you know where I stand, where my head's at."

He went back to staring at the ground, seemingly, but rather he closed his eyes as his head hung between his shoulders. He tried to get a hold of a solid breath but it felt like a struggle. Though the room was large and the air circulated nicely, Max found himself needing air. He forced himself to find Lucas. That gave him some relief. He spotted his brother on the phone off on the other side of the room.

"Have you guys set a date?" Max asked.

"Really? You're just going to change the subject?"

"Do you want to be friends again or do you want me to stay away forever?"

Brooke stared him down with an eyebrow lifted.

"Then, yes," Max nodded. "I'm going to change the subject—Have you and Lucas set a wedding date?"

Brooke's body language showed her disapproval of the direction the conversation was heading in. She sat slouched. Her mouth open in subdued shock. After studying Max's face, realizing he wasn't going to revisit their conversation, Brooke closed her mouth, sat back with some confidence and focused on the question at hand. "It's hard to choose a single day," she said softly. "How'd you do it?"

Max lifted a corner of his mouth remembering that particular moment a little more than ten years ago. "I wanted to elope," he said. "I proposed on a Tuesday. The next day, Liz and I both had a couple of hours between classes, so I wanted to do it then."

Brooke offered that kind, soft, understanding smile of hers when Max looked at her. "And Liz?"

"She wanted to wait," Max answered, "because the time wasn't the right time. I proposed in the spring. She had always wanted to get married in the fall when the leaves change colors. Central Park in autumn is one of the most beautiful sights in the world. To be surrounded by that image on the happiest day of your life? It made everything that much better." He let the memory sink into his mind again and small smile broke out onto his face.

Staring down at her hands folded in her lap, Brooke missed the expression on Max's face as she thought about herself. "I'm like every other girl. I dreamt about my perfect wedding, but things have not turned out like I thought they would."

"What's changed?"

Brooke scoffed. "I'm about a hundred percent sure that you, of all people, do not want me to answer that."

To this, Max shifted uncomfortably and swallowed the lump in his throat.

"How is Liz?" Brooke wondered, changing the subject to Max's relief.

But the subject was about as equally unnerving. "I don't know," Max answered. "I haven't spoken to her in a while."

Brooke gave him a look.

"No," Max immediately replied. "No, Liz and I are fine, as fine as we can be. I just wanted to give her her space."

Despite not being able to sympathize, Brooke nodded in understanding anyway. "You still wear the ring."

Max looked down at his wedding band and started to spin it around his finger. "I've never taken it off.""

"Ever?"

"Never," Max shook his head. "I've always liked wearing it.."

"And now?" Brooke wondered.

Max shrugged his shoulders.


	15. Brotherly Advice

**15. Brotherly Advice**

Max found relief that Dan was going to be ok. That was mostly because that meant Dan didn't need to stay in the hospital long and so Max didn't need to stay in Tree Hill long. At the earliest, Dan was leaving the next day.

So when Lucas asked Max to have dinner, Max willingly obliged. He might as well. What else would he have done during his stay in Tree Hill? Sit in his hotel room watching On-Demand movies? Damn straight. Dinner with company versus being alone? Max decided to make the tough decision to meet Lucas for dinner. He didn't anticipate being so nervous.

Usually Max had Liz with him. She was his buffer. She broke the ice. He missed her. Max couldn't remember the last time he had a meal alone with Lucas. It was probably before he left for college, if ever. Any time after that, Max had Liz.

While waiting for his brother to arrive, Max glanced at his phone. He looked back up at the table and saw the single empty chair. Their table was located in the private VIP dining room of the restaurant in Bel. So Max was definitely alone, except for the server waiting obediently in the corner, but that guy didn't count.

Max took a drag from his cigarette and tapped some ashes into an ash tray. As soon as Lucas walked into the room, Max put out the cigarette and blew the smoke straight to the ground.

Immediately, Lucas began to chuckle. "Isabel's going to kill you, you know." He opened his arms as he neared Max.

Max welcomed the hug. "I'm working on quitting," he chuckled back.

"Yeah? Worried about the HCM?"

"Yeah," Max lied. He nervously cleared his throat and brought his attention to the menu. "What are you hungry for?"

Lucas's eyes narrowed as he looked at his choices. "Do you think I can just get a large sized house salad?"

Max looked at him with a raised brow. The Scotts were never ones to just have a salad and water for dinner.

"I'm going to try being a vegetarian," Lucas clarified.

"Seriously?"

"I'd like to try to cut out the red meat."

"Bold," Max bobbed his head. "Bold."

Lucas shrugged modestly. "Just trying to eat healthier."

"Do you think you have HCM?"

"I'm hoping not," Lucas sighed. He continued to stare at the menu. "What about you?"

Max studied his brother. Behind the inquisitive look in Lucas's eyes as he tried to decide on dinner, Max could see the worry and the fear.

They weren't the closest brothers. Growing up, Max and Michael fought quite a bit, but at least they interacted. There wasn't too much going on with Lucas and Max until lately. Max called Lucas often. The calls were usually short, nothing too long or in depth. Oddly and surprisingly for Max, he was never afraid to call Lucas. It felt natural and easy to talk to Lucas. Bottom line: They got along.

Max had known that from the very beginning. He always knew that he and Lucas would. It's exactly why he avoided the family for the past five years. If his relationship with Lucas continued to flourish through the years like it should have, it would have killed Max. It would have intensified the guilt Max felt for being in love with Lucas's girlfriend, now fiancée.

So why was Max getting closer? Why didn't he just stay away? Max was looking for trouble by getting closer to Lucas. What was he thinking saying yes to being his best man?

Max needed to raise the stakes. He needed to surround himself by Lucas and Brooke. He needed to know, firsthand, how it was going to be loving Brooke in the presence of his Lucas. Max needed to get close to Lucas to realize his love for his brother was more important than his love for Brooke. Maybe that would scare Max's feelings away because avoiding the whole situation sure did him a world of good.

Lucas looked up from his menu and Max quickly averted his stare.

"Do you think you have it?' Lucas said.

Max shrugged. "I don't know what I think."

The server in the corner approached the boys and took their order. Lucas opted for the halibut and a glass of white wine while Max decided to go with the rack of lamb and a glass of red. The server left the room and Max and Lucas were alone.

"So you wanted to know about wedding stuff?" Max said.

"Yeah, wedding stuff," Lucas nodded. "Marriage. All of it in general."

Max grew apprehensive. He wasn't sure if he was comfortable sharing advice he learned from the mistakes he made in his own failed marriage. Max didn't know if wanted to recollect those regrets.

"I don't know what I can offer you, Luke. I mean, Liz and I are getting divorced."

Lucas shook his head and shrugged, shrugging off his brother's excuse to get out of the conversation. "You still went through it," he told Max. "And you two lasted ten years. You had to have been happy at some point, right?"

The thought of just one of many happy moments with Liz made Max smile. "Happy for a lot of it," Max replied.

"Good. You're qualified."

"Ok," Max said, taking a deep breath. "What do you want to know?"

"What was it like for you?" Lucas wondered. "The time leading up to the wedding. The day itself. The days following."

Max took a sip of his water to satisfy his drying mouth. It didn't take much effort for him to remember marrying Liz. "I couldn't have been more excited," he said. "I wanted to marry her right away but she wanted to wait awhile, and you know, that was ok with me. I would have waited forever for her."

Lucas smiled as he listened to his brother.

"Liz always said that I was so anxious." Max chuckled to himself. He stared at the center of the table, imagining that time ten years ago. "Every day came and went up until the wedding and I was always so thrilled for the day to be over and for the next one to come."

"Sounds really nice," Lucas said. "I can't wait to feel that way."

"You will," Max replied encouragingly. "I talked to Brooke about it. Give her time to think about it."

Lucas took a deep breath and exhaled sharply all while shaking his head. "It's already been more than two months and we've hardly spoken about it. There was the talk right after it happened but it died quick."

"There really is no rush," Max insisted. "Maybe Brooke just has to get comfortable with the whole idea."

Again, Lucas sighed. "I hope so." He drank some water and used the back of his hand to wipe his mouth dry. "You know, she's glad you're back."

Max just bobbed his head.

"I'm sure she's told you," Lucas went on, "that she used to be in love with you."

"When we were all kids," Max laughed, laughing to conceal his nerves. "It was just a crush."

Lucas responded with a similar chuckle. "It was really different back then, wasn't it?"

"You were with Peyton and Brooke was always more than willing to be the third wheel."

"And you were the cool, mysterious older brother the two of them pined over."

Though his cheeks burnt red, Max playfully rolled his eyes. "How is Peyton?"

"Good," Lucas nodded. "Tell me about the actual wedding day," he said, getting back on topic.

"We never wanted it to be anything big," Max started, "because it was about just us. So we got married at the city hall across from Central Park. Maria and our friend Kyle were the only other people there. I wasn't nervous. Not the least bit." A smile stretched across Max's face. "Liz walked into the judge's chambers and I knew from that moment on, I was going to be a better man because I was lucky enough to be her husband and I didn't want to take that for granted." He glanced at Lucas watching him with great attention. Max responded with a sad smirk. "I can't even remember everything that was said in that room, but we didn't need vows to declare our love or express our promises to each other. We knew those things on a higher level but we said them nonetheless and we held them dear to our heart.

"We walked out of city hall and I was looking at two of the most beautiful things in the world; Central Park in fall and Liz. I had had Maria blindfold Liz so that she didn't see the trees on the way in, so when we stepped outside into the fresh air for the first time as a married couple, Liz was absolutely blown away."

Max looked up at his brother looking down at the table, a somber expression on Lucas's face.

"It sounds like you were really happy."

"We were," Max nodded. "We were for a long time."

"So what happened?" Lucas asked with a nonchalant shrug.

Immediately it felt as though Nathan was pressing Max for answers, but Max realized it was Lucas, just curious to know.

Max took a sip of water before embarking on his theory. "We married young and we had some growing up to do. Not that we were immature," he noted. "We just needed to grow into the people we wanted to be. Eventually, we did, but that changed us and that's when we, as a couple, started to change."

"Do you think there was anything you two could have done?"

"Maybe," Max shrugged. "If certain things didn't happen when we were vulnerable as a couple, then I think maybe we could have worked things out." He took a deep breath. "Marriage is always work, though. It doesn't just come easy. We'd always like to think it does, but being married doesn't mean that you'll never be mad at each other or bug each other."

"I know," Lucas nodded. "Hell, look at Dan's marriages."

Max chuckled at the wonderful example. "Good. Don't be naïve about anything and don't be angry because things don't turn out the way you want."

"In other words, be an adult?"

Max thought about it for a moment and nodded. "Yeah."

"It's good advice," Lucas said. "You know, I think you might want to share those words of wisdom with Nathan. He thinks life's a fairytale when you're in love. I'm nervous about him."

"Yeah?"

Lucas nodded heavily. "He's still very much a kid, Max. There's a lot he doesn't know. When he faces those things, he's in for a rude awakening."

Max knew Lucas was right and took his brother's perspective into consideration, letting it sink into his mind for later.

"And speaking of brothers," Lucas continued, "I'm worried about Michael, too."

"The drinking?"

As subtly as possible, Lucas nodded. He didn't want to have to admit it by saying it. "It can't be good for his heart regardless of whether or not he has HCM, and who knows what the hell his liver looks like?"

Max wasn't sure what Lucas was doing but it seemed like a calm cry for help.

"I don't know why he's so unhappy," Lucas said. "Maria is good to him, more than she should be, but he treats her like shit. He doesn't hit her, so we can be thankful for that, but Maria's like a sister to us and quite honestly, she deserves better than our brother."

"That's harsh."

"Michael can be mean, Max. I don't know if it's because of the alcohol or if it's something that leads him to the alcohol." Lucas shook his head sadly. "He's angry and never happy and none of us know why. We can't ever talk to him to figure that out because he just gets mad at us and then shuts us out."

Max never really thought about how the lives of his brothers and sister were. He assumed they did their jobs, went to school, whatever it was that made the day go by, but there was more to it. Max didn't realize that. He didn't know about it, about their lives.

Lucas cleared his throat. "Do you have any, um, advice?"

"About Michael?"

"About life," Lucas shrugged.

Max was hoping for some advice himself.


	16. I Do

**16. I Do**

Once Dan was well enough to head home, Max flew back to his own home in Los Angeles. He lived in a three-bedroom home nestled in the Hollywood hills. It had a beautiful view of the bustling city below. During the day, you could see the business of Los Angeles but from where you stood, you only heard the silence of isolation in the hills. At night, the house was surrounded by stars and darkness, it was almost as if Max was in the sky.

The house was supposed to be a home for Max and Liz and…

Max and Liz Evans owned two main properties; a penthouse in New York and a house with acreage in Los Angeles. If the couple grew into a family, Max and Liz would have called the house in Los Angeles their home.

Now it was a bachelor pad. It was just a place for Max to sleep.

With all the work Max threw himself into, he never saw much of his home. He'd wake up, get ready for work, and head into the office. Meals were spent in cafés and restaurants or in the office or the home of a friend's. Once the day was done, Max would go home to sleep. Sometimes, he'd stay the night at his office where he had a small bedroom. He didn't even go home if he didn't have to but Max would force himself to. It would be rather depressing if he lived at the office.

But home was just a place for Max to sleep.

Los Angeles was supposed to be home to Max. It quickly became something else. Definitely not home.

Traveling was a part of the job and eventually, Max grew tired of it. That was until living in Los Angeles became tedious. He looked for any reason to fly out with the exception of Dan's second heart attack and this current purpose.

A few days after Max returned to L.A., he was back on a plane heading back to the East Coast. He wouldn't land in North Carolina again but New York instead. It had been two months since he was in the city. He missed it, but he didn't want to be here under these circumstances.

Max stepped out of La Guardia Airport and hailed a cab. In Los Angeles, you drive. In New York, you walk, take the subway, or catch a cab. It was a nice change and a wonderfully familiar feeling. He remembered the mornings when he'd be busy on his phone, either talking, emailing or texting, on the way to his New York office. They were high moments of stress but Max smiled at the memories. Not all mornings were comprised of work though. Most involved reading the morning paper or Max just enjoying Liz's company as they shared a cab to their destinations.

Max missed New York.

The cab driver pulled up to a high rise on the Upper East Side that Max knew very well. He paid his fare and included a generous tip before stepping out; no luggage, just his leather messenger bag. It was such a familiar and unthreatening place but, still, Max took a deep breath before entering.

An elevator ride to the top placed Max right in front of the door to the penthouse he owned—well, once owned with Liz. As he walked toward the door, Max shoved his hand into his pocket to retrieve his keys and just as he was about to stick the key into the lock, Max froze.

This wasn't his home anymore. It hadn't been in a couple of months.

Another deep breath and Max knocked his knuckles against the door. He waited patiently. He waited nervously. The last time he saw Liz was two months ago. They hardly talked since.

It was unpleasant. Not what their relationship had become. Just the situation.

Max could hear Liz walk up to the door. He imagined her getting on the tips of her toes to look through the peep hole. The door opened and he didn't need to imagine anymore.

"Max!" Liz smiled with genuine surprise. "What are you doing here? I thought we were going to meet at my lawyer's office."

Seeing that smile of hers and the way her eyes lit up like that, Max's heart skipped a beat. He was still nervous.

But it was a good nervous.

Like a little boy, he smiled softly. "I just got in and I didn't know what to do from now until the meeting. I figured I'd stop by and catch up. We could share a cab to your lawyer's office."

Liz studied that boyish grin on his face. She just stared, enthralled by her husband.

Max took her pause in response another way, a disapproving way. "I'm sorry," he apologized. "I don't really know what the rules are."

"Rules?" Liz giggled. "I don't know what they are either." She opened the door a little more and tilted her head toward the inside of the condo. "Come on in. We have a lot to talk about."

She stepped out of the way, welcoming him in. While Liz closed the door, Max studied his surroundings as if he hadn't been in the penthouse before.

"I haven't changed anything," Liz told him.

Max bobbed his head as he brought his attention to Liz. He wasn't sure how this whole separation and divorce thing was supposed to go or if there were in fact unspoken rules, but Max didn't seem to care. He turned to Liz and wrapped his arms around her, holding her small frame. Liz leaned into the hug and closed her eyes as she did. He missed her embrace but before long, Liz opened her eyes and lovingly rubbed his back. They each let go and walked into the living room.

"How's Dan?" Liz asked.

Max laughed as he threw his head back. "Oh, why'd you have to go straight to him?"

"Because once we talk about him, we can move onto pleasanter things."

"Good point," Max nodded. "Dan spent the night in the hospital. Surprisingly, there wasn't too much damage to his heart and he's going to be ok. He's been doing ok." He chuckled to himself. "Dan's one lucky bastard."

"Isabel told me about the HCM," Liz softly mentioned, "about a week ago."

Max brought his eyes down to his hands. He ran the pad of his thumb over his other thumb's nail and vice versa.

"Were you ever going to tell me?"

Max quickly looked back up and replied, "Of course," but then he realized that was the response he gave when they were married, when they used to tell each other everything, but they weren't really married anymore, and they hadn't even spoke to each other in the past couple of months. "I didn't know if you…" Max shrugged. "I didn't want to bother you."

"Bother me?" Offense riddled the tone of her voice. "Max, there is no way you ever could." She offered a soft smile. "In your defense, I could've called to see how you were doing. I guess I didn't want to bother you either."

Max gave a nervous chuckle.

"We dedicated more than ten years of our lives to each other," Liz said. "We're not married anymore but you're still my best friend, Max. I don't want that to just stop because we're getting a…" She was hesitant about saying it. "…a divorce. I want to know what's going on with you, and not in that scary ex-wife kind of way."

Max smirked. "What you say for me goes the same for you," he told her.

"Good. Talk to me about the HCM then."

At Max's feet was his messenger bag. He stared at it for a while before reaching in and pulling out an envelope. "I got it this morning," he said.

Liz didn't want to look at the envelope. She kept her eyes on Max. "Have you opened it yet?"

Max shook his head.

"You better not ask me to look at it for you," Liz giggled.

A smile appeared on Max's face. "I won't," he replied. "I just didn't want to be alone when I—"

Liz reached over and put her hand into his. She gave it a loving squeeze. She was there for him. She always would be.

With overbearing reluctance Max gathered the courage to tear open the envelope and slowly unravel the letter. Liz watched Max's eyes as he studied the letter. First, his eyes darted from left to right, and then eventually, they slowed. At that point, Liz studied Max's face.

It wasn't good news.

Max methodically closed the letter, slid it back into its envelope and tucked it back into his messenger bag. He closed his eyes and rubbed his hands over his face and then through his hair. "I don't have it," he finally said.

Confusion swept across Liz's face. "Shouldn't we be celebrating right now?" she wondered.

The response was a shake of Max's head. "I called each of them when I saw my envelope. Isabel and Michael are clean, thank God." He breathed a sigh of relief but soon went back to shaking his head.

"And Lucas and Nathan?"

"Lucas is in Chicago for a conference and Nathan's away at training camp. They both said their envelopes are waiting for them at home but Brooke and Haley don't want to be the ones to open them."

"When do they get back?"

"At the end of the week." Max exhaled sharply. "Nathan shouldn't even be playing until we find out for sure."

Liz bobbed her head in understanding. "He's been ok though, right?"

"Right," Max said, "which leads me to believe---"

"That Lucas has HCM," Liz finished.

With regret and guilt, as if he was the one who delivered the death notice, Max nodded.

Liz observed him with narrowed eyes, studying his reaction, figuring out his feelings. "You think that if one of you has to have it, it should be you, don't you?" she said. She already knew what his answer would be. "Why?"

"None of them deserve to have it."

"And you think you do?

Max sighed heavily, shaking his head and getting to his feet. "I've already heard this lecture from them."

"Well, you obviously need to hear it again," Liz scoffed. " Max, this is something completely out of your control. It's the shitty luck of the draw."

"It doesn't feel right," Max replied shaking his head.

"And it shouldn't." Liz reached out and grabbed Max's hand. She pulled him back down to the couch. "But not for the reason you're thinking. It shouldn't feel right because it's something that just isn't." She let her head tilt to the side in a sympathetic gesture. "What's going on with you? You've always felt remorse for leaving them behind but not at this self-deprecating level."

Max kept quiet, shaking his head to himself.

"Talk to me."

After a deep breath, Max told her. "We hadn't seen them for five years." He looked down at his hands. "And then two months ago, we do, and they're not happy with me but they still welcome me with a hug. They don't hate me. They're not angry with me. They forgive me." He glanced up at her before looking back down at his lap. "They forgive me and for all they know my reason for staying away could have been them, but they're not angry and they don't question me. Five years and they forgive me."

"So, what, you think you need to be punished for the way you treated them?"

Max shook his head, but not because he disagreed but because he just didn't know the answer. "Not punished…Just…something. I feel like I'm being let off the hook." He chuckled to himself sadly. "They all think I'm a good man, even my father. He's basically left me everything in his will."

"Really?"

"With certain circumstances, of course."

Liz nodded her head with a heavy, jokingly emphasis. "Of course."

The way she reacted was the way he hoped she would. It made him smile. She knew the kind of man Dan was. He didn't do things without wanting something or causing something in return. So Liz wasn't surprised that it wasn't as simple as leaving everything to Max.

"Everything falls under my name," Max explained, "but none of it's mine. It's theirs."

"Isabel and the boys?"

Max nodded. "When Dan goes, he wants me to take care of his businesses and property. After a certain period of time, I hand them over."

"Wow," Liz said. Her eyes widened in genuine shock. "You're obligated to them, but in a good way." She took a moment to think about it. "And Dan did this?"

"Yeah," Max chuckled.

"Well there you go."

Max shook his head in confusion, questioning Liz. "What?"

"If you're looking for something to level out the past five years, I think redemption is your ticket," she explained. "How do you plan on taking care of things when you live across the country?"

"I have time to work all that out. Dan's not dead, yet."

"I'm sure Dan could use your help now."

The look of confusion never left Max's face. "You think I should go to Tree Hill?"

"I think you should move to Tree Hill," Liz nodded.

Max looked at her in disbelief, shaking his head as he did. His mouth hung open as if he were about to formulate words but Max didn't say a thing.

"You're bound to your brothers and sister now more than ever," Liz told him. "You can't distance yourself from them anymore. You can't hide. You have to confront your issues with them. So why don't you just go to Tree Hill, repair your relationships with your brothers and sister, maybe even your dad, and learn about the businesses you'll be in charge of? What do you have to lose?"

"You," Max immediately answered. He was confident in his reply. "If I move to Tree Hill, I move closer to…" Max looked away. "…closer to Brooke, and I don't want to do anything that'll jeopardize our relationship."

"Don't you think you're a little too late?" Liz said simply. She didn't say it with intent to hurt him. It was just the first thought that popped into her head. She wouldn't apologize for saying it. "The worse thing that can happen to us is already happening, Max. We are getting a divorce after all."

Max let his head lower.

"Don't use our relationship as an excuse," Liz went on. "The damage is already done, and that all sounds bad but what I'm saying is, don't worry about what's going to happen to you and me, because you and me, we're going to be fine. Stop hiding. No more excuses. Just confront this thing head on."

That was the exact same approach Max was taking to get rid of his feelings for Brooke. Getting closer to Lucas was the key. Why not become physically close by relocating to Tree Hill? It was upping the ante even more.

"There's no reason for you to not go," Liz said. "They're getting married now and you and I aren't together anymore. There's nothing for you to be scared of."

If Liz only knew. Regardless, Max nodded his head in understanding.

"You know right from wrong," Liz said. "It's not like you're moving to Tree Hill to break up Lucas's and Brooke's relationship. Maybe going there will help you finally get over her."

Max took a deep breath as he considered his options. He stared at the coffee table going through the possibilities of each choice. If he kept away, he'd only continue losing them, maybe slowly or so fast he wouldn't even realize it. Each of his siblings were going through something difficult in their lives. He couldn't just stand aside knowing that maybe he could do something, anything.

Liz glanced at the watch around her wrist. "We better get going."

"I actually canceled the meeting."

"What? Why?"

Max shrugged, a smile on his face. "We don't have to go through lawyers. Whatever you want, Liz, you can have."

"If I want it all?" Liz jokingly wondered.

"Take it," Max grinned.

Liz looked at him with narrowed eyes. "When did you cancel the meeting?"

"Last night," Max boyishly shrugged.

"But you flew in anyway?"

"I missed my friend," he told her. "I didn't want to spend the day with you locked up in a mediator's office trying to figure out what's yours or what's mine."

"I wouldn't have wanted to do that either." She got to her feet and held out her hand to Max. "Come on. Let's have some fun in the city then."

A warm smile stretched across Max's face as he placed his hand in Liz's. As he did, he spotted the rings around her ring finger. He turned her hand over and saw the diamond engagement ring resting behind the white gold wedding band that matched Max's.

"What do we do about these?" he wondered.

Liz looked down and took her hand back, holding it close to her body with her other hand. "We should probably stop wearing them, huh?" There was sadness in her voice. She made no attempt to hide it. "Do you want them back?"

"No," Max quickly answered. "They're yours."

After a soft smile Liz looked back down at her hands. She slid them both up and down her finger but never past the knuckle. Max reached forward, taking her left hand in his right and putting his left hand in her right. He gave them a squeeze.

"We'll do it together," he said as he stood up.

With bravery, Liz nodded. She placed her delicate fingers on his ring while he grasped hers.

"Before we do it," Max said, "I just want to say that, even though we're going through this, I'm always going to support you and trust you. No matter what happens to each of us now or in the future you will always be in my heart and mind. I still promise to love you and be your best friend."

Liz gave a coy smile and nodded. "I do too."

They gave each other one last kiss and took off each other's rings.


	17. Griffith Pointe

**17. Griffith Pointe**

After a day in New York, Max returned back to the West Coast. It didn't take him long to gather the courage to buy a one-way plane ticket to North Carolina. He chose a flight for later in the week to get to his new home as soon as possible, to be there when Nathan and Lucas opened their results. The time leading up to the move was spent tying up loose ends with the offices in L.A. as well as overall deals. Max would clear up most of his docket to focus on his family and the dealership.

Max packed a single suitcase and brought along one carry-on. Already waiting for him in Tree Hill was a fully furnished penthouse in Griffith Pointe, one of the first pieces of real estate Max ever purchased. The penthouse covered the whole top floor of the seven-story building that was built to look like the subtly beautiful brownstones in New York. Max had wanted to bring a little bit of the city to his hometown.

The penthouse had remained unoccupied all these years. It looked like the apartments in the New York and was priced like them too. No one in Tree Hill could afford the swanky digs, except for Max of course. The rest of the building was filled with tenants and Max actually looked forward to getting to know his neighbors.

Max pulled his suitcase into the penthouse. The wheels rolled smoothly and evenly across the hardwood floors. His shoes knocked the wood with every step. He kicked his shoes off and let his feet, through his socks, feel the coolness of the wooden floor. It was nice. It was a feeling that would make this place feel like home.

As soon as Max stepped into his new home, he stopped, shut the door behind him, and studied his new surroundings. The kitchen was already stocked with kitchenware, appliances, and food. Max had sent his assistant, Thomas, to Tree Hill earlier in the week to get the place furnished, allowing for Max to focus on his brothers.

One piece of furniture was brought from Max's home in L.A. Max walked into his master bedroom and found his favorite sitting chair, _the_ sitting chair, perfectly positioned facing the rest of the large room. The place was feeling more and more like Max's home.

Max rolled his luggage into the room with him and let it go as he approached the chair. He sat down, sinking into the plush leather. His eyes fell on his suitcase waiting for him but that is where it would remain for a while. Max sunk further into the chair and closed his eyes.

Five seconds and the silence he sat in was gone. The doorbell rang. Once and then twice.

Max couldn't even begin to imagine who would pay him a visit. No one knew about Max being in town, much less that he had moved there.

Maybe it was a neighbor.

The walk to the door from the master bedroom was actually quite long, relatively speaking. The doorbell rang two more times on the way there. Eventually, Max picked his pace up into a light jog and quickly pulled the door open.

What Max saw waiting on the other side of the door nearly knocked Max off his feet. The momentum of the door being thrown open had almost taken Max with it.

And the shock Brooke felt after seeing Max open the door brought her jaw down to the floor. She couldn't believe it was him. It had to have been someone who looked like him.

"Max?"

Max swallowed the lump in his throat and stabilized his knees. "How did you know I was here?"

Brooke nervously scoffed. "I didn't. I live a floor below…"

Trouble. This was trouble. Max's heart sank as it throbbed rapidly.

"Yesterday I heard the movers from my apartment," Brooke continued. "I asked them if they knew whose stuff they were moving in, but they didn't. So when I heard someone up here, I rushed right over." Brooke caught her breath. "What are you doing here? Does Lucas know you're here? He didn't mention anything."

"No one knows," Max answered. He cleared his throat just to fill the silence. "This is my apartment. I live here now."

The last time Brooke's eyes were open this wide was when she saw the birthday gift Max had given her. "You live _here_? As in Tree Hill 'here'?"

Max rolled his eyes and pulled Brooke into his apartment. "Yes, I live here, in Tree Hill."

Brooke stood still in the apartment she always wondered about but never saw, but her surprise and shock of Max's existence before her prevented her from satisfying her curiosity by looking around the luxurious apartment. All Brooke could do was shake her head in disbelief with a sly smirk on her face.

"I'm not here for you," Max said. "I'm here for them."

Though that could have easily been a dig, Brooke didn't take offense. "I thought you said they didn't need you."

Max shrugged. "I think its more of me needing them."

To that, Brooke smiled, happy to hear that family was going to be a part in Max's life again. "In that case, I'm glad you're here."

A smirk appeared on Max's face. "Please don't tell them I'm here. I'd like to tell them myself."

"How is that going to work out?" Brooke wondered. "You just going to show up to the dinner tonight?"

Max nodded. "That's the plan. I spoke to Isabel yesterday. She told me about it, and I'd like to be there for my brothers."

"That's really good to hear, Max. Really good." Brooke smiled at him for a moment. "Are you nervous about it?"

"What? Showing up and telling them I'm here or finding out which brother has HCM?"

Brooke shrugged. "Both."

Max thought about earlier in the week when he opened his own results. It was the most terrifying few seconds of his life. He couldn't imagine how his brothers were going to feel knowing that one of them was bound to have HCM.

"I'm excited to see them," Max answered. "I wish the situation wasn't what it was. What about you?"

"I'm terrified," Brooke revealed. The quivering smirk on her face would have answered Max's question. She shook her head as if shaking her tears away, and the subject as well. "So what about L.A.? New York?"

"I'm going to work from here," Max told her. He guided her to the living room where they both took a seat. "I still anticipate traveling every so often, but definitely not as much since I'm going to run the dealership."

"Whoa," Brooke immediately replied. "When did that happen? And how?"

"Dan is in no condition to be mayor, run the dealership and look over the garage."

Brooke stared at him skeptically. "That's awfully kind of you."

"It'll be something to make the day go by," Max shrugged.

"Does Liz know you're here?"

It made Max uncomfortable to hear Brooke talk about Liz and vice versa. "Um, yeah. She actually suggested the move."

"Oh," Brooke nodded. "Smart girl."

Both of them let their heads bob while the silence settled in.

Brooke chose this particular moment to study as much of the apartment as she could see. Take everything out, imagine it as empty space, and it was large. Really, really large. She had thought her apartment was spacious and big. Max's apartment was the size of her apartment and at least three more.

But the things in the apartment made the place not as big. It made the space warm and like a home, like Max's home, and here, Brooke felt comfortable, until she realized that that wasn't necessarily a good thing.

"Is this going to be weird?" Brooke decided to ask. "Us living above and below each other?

Max shook his head. "No," he said succinctly. "It can't be weird, Brooke. We can't let it be."

"You're right."

"I'm here to be friends with Lucas," Max continued. "It's what you wanted, right?"

Brook nodded. "And what about us? Are we going to be able to be friends?"

"Of course. We're friends."

"And now neighbors. I feel like this is a good thing, Max."

"Me too," he agreed.

Brooke sighed satisfied. "Ok!" she said cheerily. "Well, I'll let you get settled in."

The two of them rose to their feet and headed for the door.

"Did you want to drive over to Isabel's together?"

"I wanted to try to be there with everyone already there. Show up with Lucas and let me know when it's a good time for me to show up?"

Brooke nodded and stepped out of the apartment as Max opened the door. Standing in the hallway looking at Max and into his new home, Brooke smiled. "It's really good that you're here, Max. You have no idea."

Max lifted a corner of his mouth and nodded in thanks. "I'll see you tonight, Brooke."

"Bye." She rose to her toes and then dropped to her heels before turning around and walking down the short corridor to the elevator.

As soon as she was out of sight, Max closed the door. He leaned forward, rested his forehead against the cool wood, and closed his eyes. This wasn't going to be easy.


	18. Unwanted Letters

**18. Unwanted Letters**

Five minutes after receiving a text from Brooke giving him the go-ahead and Max was standing at the front door to his sister's home. He felt a mixture of excitement and anxiety, but it also felt right. Max had grown accustomed to the idea of getting closer to his brothers and sister.

At this point in time, Max could look back at his life and recognize three distinct ten-year periods. The first of which was the mother-son period, Max's childhood. Though he experienced the devastating tragedy of losing his mother, his memories of that time in his life were still fond. Life in the Scott home made up approximately the second ten years of his life. There were only bits and pieces of that time that Max remembered vividly. The past ten years was the Liz period. For now, and maybe for the rest of his life, it was the ten years Max would hold dear to his heart.

All 30 years of his life, Max had company. His mother. The Scotts. Liz. But now, things were different. The past two months were the first two months of this next period of Max's life, and for the very first time, Max was alone. It was unpleasant. It was unhappiness.

With Max moving back to Tree Hill, he was no longer alone. Though his brothers and sister had their significant others, they were still going to welcome their oldest brother into their lives. Max didn't deserve their kindness but they were going to give it to him regardless. Max wasn't going to take it for granted anymore.

One deep, deep breath later and Max knocked on the door. He rocked on his heels and toes while he waited. His heart pounding motivated the movement.

Max could hear Isabel near the door and lean against it, looking through the peephole. Not long afterward did the door fly open.

"Max!" Her eyes were wide and a smile stretched across her whole face. She nearly tackled him with her lunge. "What are you doing here? I wasn't expecting you!"

As politely as he could, Max pried his sister off of him. "Do you mind if we go inside?" he chuckled.

"Of course not! Come on in." She literally pulled him inside. "Everyone's here. We were just about to have dinner."

Max walked beside her sister into her home. He had only been to her place once but he remembered it well because it was one of the places in Tree Hill where he felt extremely comfortable right away. The feeling was still the same.

"It's Max," Isabel said upon entering the family room

It was a full room with people hanging out. Those sitting got to their feet while the ones already standing froze still, except Brooke. She wasn't the least bit surprised, of course. Max waved to everyone to save them all the time of individual hugs, but Nathan wanted his hug.

He hurried over to his brother and threw his arms around him. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Take a seat," Max chucked. "I'll explain everything."

Nathan walked back over to Haley to sit down like everyone else.

While he waited for everyone to settle in, Max nervously rubbed his hands together, hoping to get some feeling back into them. The adrenaline coursed through his body causing his limbs to feel a little tingly. Every breath made his heart beat faster. It was the excitement and the anxiety, but this time, Max was reconsidering whether it felt right or not, because now he saw his whole family…and Brooke and he began to wonder if this approach to getting over Brooke was really going to work.

"So," Michael said, "what are you doing here?"

Max nervously cleared his throat and looked around the room, spotting a heartwarming smile from Brooke that, surprisingly, helped him go on. "Dan's the mayor of Tree Hill and he runs one of the most successful car dealerships in North Carolina as well as the only garage in town, but he's no longer in the condition to take on so many responsibilities." Max took a deep breath. "Dan's asked me to take over the dealership and the garage, and I've accepted."

"So wait," Lucas said. "How's is that going to work? You're going to run the dealership from L.A.?"

Michael scoffed. "More importantly, why are you helping Dan?"

Many people in the room sent Michael a glare.

"I will not be running the dealership from L.A.," Max told Lucas. "I'm moving here." He cleared his throat again. "I've moved here," he said, correcting himself.

"Seriously?" Nathan had the look of a little boy on Christmas morning.

"Yes, seriously," Max nodded, suddenly at ease after seeing his brother's smile. "I got in this morning and I'm living at Griffith."

Everyone looked at Brooke.

"You knew he was here?" Lucas asked her.

"Yes, but he told me not to say anything," she said with a smile. "He wanted it to be a surprise."

"I'm sure as hell surprised," Michael scoffed. "So, why are you bailing Dan out?"

Max wasn't sure if he should disclose the dealings between himself and Dan. He had no idea how his siblings would react to the fact that Dan left everything to him and not directly to each of them. It would take time to explain why Dan did what he did and convince them that it was legit, and to do that with all of them at once would surely stir up so much discussion no one would be able to hear themselves think.

"I could really care less about helping Dan," Max started to explain, "but I saw this as an opportunity to be here." He swallowed the lump in his throat. "To be with all of you."

It was the truth. It was Max's truth. There were other bits and pieces to it and Max would explain them to his brothers and sister but right now wasn't the best time.

Involuntary smiles appeared on nearly everyone's face, and Max's insides calmed.

"We're glad you're here," Isabel said. "Even Michael."

"He is," Maria nodded as she ran her hand over her boyfriend's head.

Max's smirk slowly disappeared. "I could have come at any particular time," he said, "but I wanted to be here on this particular night."

"We were just about to open them," Lucas nervously sighed.

He took a deep breath and reached for two sealed envelopes sitting on the coffee table. He kept one and flung the other to Nathan. Max took a seat at the table next to his sister and shook his brother-in-law's hand hello after Max wrapped his arm around his sister. They all watched Lucas and Nathan open their envelopes as if they were watching kids open presents on their birthday or Christmas, but there weren't smiles on anyone's face.

The two boys held the paper in their hands, still folded into thirds. The remains of the envelopes rested at their feet. Nathan and Lucas looked at each other, nodded their heads three distinct times and opened the results. Their eyes scanned the paper and Max could only think that this might be the closest to an out-of-body experience as he was going to get. He knew what they were feeling as they read through each line, searching for particular words, and here he was watching them.

Nathan turned to Haley, a smile on his face. "I'm perfectly healthy," he breathed in relief. He hugged her tight.

After a quick kiss, Nathan brought his attention to Lucas sitting across from him. Brooke had her arm wrapped around Lucas's as she studied his face. His eyes were still slivers examining the paper. There was no change in his expression.

"Lucas?" Brooke said, adding a little nudge.

Isabel held Max's hand while it rested on her shoulder. She squeezed it tight.

With his eyes on his brothers, Michael blindly and subtly searched for Maria's hand.

Max held his breath.

"It's me," Lucas finally said. "I'm the one."

It was a long shot but for a second Max thought that maybe none of them had it. He gave his sister a squeeze and then took his arm off her shoulders. He fidgeted a bit trying to decide what to do with his arms before finally crossing them tightly in front of his chest.

Isabel brought her hand over her mouth as she tried to fathom her brother's fate.

Michael let go of Maria's hand.

Nathan unhooked his arm from Haley's.

Brooke stopped leaning against Lucas but inched closer to his line of sight, trying to get a look into his eyes. "Are you ok?" she asked.

Lucas took a deep breath and folded up the letter. "This is going to be fine," he said, his tone was upbeat and optimistic, but the denial kind of upbeat and optimistic. "So I take a pill a day and cut running out of my life." He nervously laughed when he saw the looks on the faces of his family. "Really, look at this as a good thing, I'm going to start making healthier choices." He got to his feet. "I need some air," he said casually.

They all watched him leave the room and exchanged glances. No one could say anything. None of them knew what to say even if they could.

Eventually, reality slowly set in.

"What happens now?" Nathan wondered.

"We need to call Dr. Coughlin," Isabel replied. "We need her to break it all down for us. We need her to tell us what's going to happen, what we need to do..."

"'We, we, we'," Michael mumbled under his alcohol-stenched breath.

Isabel glared at him.

"This isn't about us," he went on.

"What are you talking about?" Isabel protested. "He's our brother."

"He is," Max said. "So this affects us, but it's not happening to us."

Nathan spat out a laugh. "Michael is not right. We can't just sit back and—"

"That's not what he's saying," Max replied. "At least I don't think that's what he's saying."

"Why don't you just ask me what I'm saying?" Michael said, glaring at Max. "Or how about you just let me explain?"

Max rolled his eyes and gave up.

"We offer him our help and our support," Michael said, "but we give him his space. _He_ needs to deal with this and let us know what our place is."

That had to be the most insightful and thoughtful thing Michael's said in a long time.

"I want to know what's going on," Isabel said.

"You have to let Lucas keep us informed," Michael told her. "We all do."

And Max agreed. "You can't call Dr. Coughlin, Iz."

Telling Isabel she wasn't allowed to do anything was never a good thing. She stood up and marched into the kitchen, leaving everyone in the room to feel uncomfortable and guilty for making her that upset. She had that effect. She always had that effect. It was how her brothers knew that she would definitely become a mother.

Everyone in the room exchanged glances, wondering who would be the one to follow after Isabel into the kitchen. Many looked to Max. After all, he was metaphorically the "new guy."

Max rose to his feet and strolled toward the kitchen, stopping in the doorway and leaning against the frame. He watched as his sister tossed the salad with vigor. Bits of lettuce and strings of carrots flew onto the countertop. She knew someone was in the room with her, but she would ignore them because, to her, everyone was against her.

"Isabel, don't be mad," Max decided to say.

"I'm not mad," she replied.

Max laughed and walked further into the kitchen. "The salad disagrees."

He took the bowl away from her and set it aside, but Isabel continued staring where the bowl once was. Max couldn't see the whole expression on her face, but from what he could see, it gave him cause to locate all the sharp objects in the room and keep them away from his sister. Luckily, he was in the clear.

"We're all just as worried about Lucas as you are," Max told her.

Isabel glared at him. "So then why aren't you all acting like it?"

"How is it going to make Lucas feel if all of a sudden we have this greater awareness of him and everything he does? His life has changed. I don't think he'd appreciate us changing as well. We can't show our worry."

"I can't help it, Max. He's our little brother." She tried to keep any tears from escaping from her eyes. "God, who's going to tell Karen?"

"Isabel, stop. This is the kind of thing we can't have Lucas see." Max wrapped his arms around her and held her tight. "He's going to be fine. He'll take care of himself."

"I'll make sure of it."

Max and Isabel broke from their embrace after hearing the distinct raspy voice. Brooke and Maria stood just a step or two inside the kitchen and gave a little wave.

"Sorry to interrupt," Maria apologized. "We just wanted to come in and see if you needed any help in here."

"I'd love the help," Isabel nodded.

Immediately, she transformed into domestic mode. She reached across Max to grab the bowl of salad and handed it to Maria while Brooke helped herself to the plates and silverware. The two girls exited to the dining room and Isabel breathed a slight sigh of relief bust continued moving about. The whole time Max tried his best to not get in the way. He got on his toes and pushed himself as close to the counter as he could in order to take up as little space as possible while Isabel dashed around the kitchen.

"Max," she said. "Do me a favor and grab the bread from the oven and cut it into slices."

Before attacking the task, Max took a deep breath. The kitchen was definitely not his arena. He didn't even know where everything was in his own kitchen. It took him about a minute of scouring Isabel's for oven mitts before he grabbed a few hand towels. Isabel kept her head down but giggled as her brother danced around her with the hot tray.

He wiggled his hands to cool them off. The towels had done him no good. "Uh, how thick do you want the slices?" Max asked.

"However thick you think they should be." Isabel was too busy with dicing to even look over her shoulder.

Max held the bread knife tightly in his hand as he placed the blade on the warm bread. He proceeded to saw.

"Whoa," Brooke laughed. "Ease up. It's bread. It's not going anywhere." She lifted the hand that held the loaf of bread still to discover a large indent that Max left. "Lightly," she instructed. "Bread is delicate."

Max looked down at her hand holding his. He focused on the feeling of her soft, cool touch on his skin. It made his heart race. It made him clench the knife even tighter.

"Brooke, would you mind grabbing a few bottles of wine from the cellar?"

Oblivious of Max's careful attention to their interaction, Brooke let go of Max's hand and started to head for the stairs in the kitchen that led to the basement. "Red or white?" she asked before disappearing down the steps.

"Let's go with red," Isabel answered.

Max verbally winced.

"What?" Isabel glared.

"You're going to want to go with the white," Max advised. "With roasted chicken, go with white. Chardonnay if you have it."

Brooke looked to Isabel for the final say.

"Trust me," Max went on. "I don't know how to cook food, just yet, but I know food and I know wine. I can get the wine." He moved to take a step.

"Freeze," Isabel ordered Max, finger pointed and all. She addressed Brooke. "Go ahead and grab a few bottles of chardonnay."

Brooke obediently nodded and disappeared down the stairs.

"Aw, come on," Max sighed. "I'm back on bread duty?"

"Now that you're on your own," Isabel started, "away from all the fine dining and personal chefs, you have to learn your way around the kitchen. You can start with bread duty. Get back to slicing."

Max playfully rolled his eyes and went back to sawing the rest of the bread. This time with a lighter touch. "So until I become a master chef, got any tips of what I can do in the meantime to survive?"

"The cooking section at Arthur's and the Food Network," Isabel said, "and meals here, of course." She glanced over her shoulder and sent her brother a smile.

Max smiled back. He dusted the crumbs of his finger tips and placed the bread in a basket Isabel had set out. With his task complete and nearly everything done, Max took a seat on the counter. For a little while, he watched Isabel maneuver around the kitchen. Everything she did was effortless.

In the courtroom, Isabel was brutal. She was great at her job. Absolutely brilliant. But it wasn't who she was meant to be. Isabel was a nurturing being. It's innate in women. In some the trait is stronger than others and for Isabel, it's deep and overpowering. Max had known that the moment he met her 20 years ago. It seemed that the universe was being cruel by not allowing her to bear children.

"Is this the right time to ask?" Max wondered.

"What?"

"How you and Alex have been."

The tempo of the knife hitting the chopping board sped up the moment Max finished speaking. Isabel kept her head down and any expression hidden.

"We don't have to talk about it at this moment," Max said. "I just thought I'd ask, because I am here for you, for all of you, and I just wanted you to know that."

Isabel gradually slowed the pace of her chopping and eventually stopped. She looked to Max and offered a soft smile. "It's good that you are here," she told him, "and I'm excited that tomorrow I can have a cup of coffee with you or meet you for lunch, but it's been five years."

Max started to bob his head, knowing the direction Isabel was heading.

"I wish it could be as easy as picking up wherever we left off," Isabel went on, "but it's not. Wherever we left off isn't even a really great place because we don't really have a foundation of a relationship with you."

It was all completely understandable. So Max continued nodding.

"I'm not saying this to be mean," Isabel told him. "I just don't want you to be hurt if I go to Maria or Brooke first about things."

"I understand," Max nodded.

Isabel placed her hand on her brother's knee. "But you being here is the greatest step you can take to changing that."

They exchanged smiles.

Max took a deep breath, smelling the beautifully seasoned chicken. "Smells great," he said.

Isabel turned to the oven and through its window, she studied the chicken. "It's about done. Call everyone to the dining room?"

"Sure," Max nodded.

One step into the doorway and Isabel stopped him.

"Did Brooke come back up?" she wondered.

Max tried to remember if he saw Brooke come through the door in the kitchen, but he couldn't, so he shook his head.

"Maybe she needs help," Isabel said. "Do you mind?"


	19. Separate Space

**19, Separate Space**

Max shook his head, a kind smile on his face, and switched paths to the door just behind him. He opened the door, took one step into the dark staircase and saw Brooke sitting at the bottom. She didn't look up behind her to see him just standing there watching her. Instead, Brooke's focus was on something else off to the side.

Max closed the door behind him and descended down the stairs. It was dark. There was the faint orange light that lit the bottom of the stairs and the ethereal blue light from the moon coming through the windows that lightened the cellar but didn't light it. If Max remembered right, there were more lights in the room, more than the one sconce that was on at this moment. If the lights were off, there had to be a reason, so Max didn't bother turning any of them on.

At the bottom step, Max took a seat next to Brooke. "Hey," he said, nudging her with his shoulder.

Brooke looked at him and stretched her lips but didn't crack a smile. She went back to staring at what she had been looking at. Max followed her stare and found himself looking at the windows on the other side of the room. Outside, a set of feet paced back and forth across the windows. Max didn't need Brooke to tell him that it was Lucas out there, and he knew that when she first noticed that person outside, she immediately knew it was Lucas.

"He's not going to tell me how he's feeling," Brooke said. She sighed heavily, and sadly. Her foot shuffled over a bit knocking into the bottles of wine she had come down to get. She looked down at them but didn't give them a second thought. "I'm going to ask him and he'll put his hands on my arms, look me in the eyes, smirk, and tell me, 'I'm fine,' as if it's a ridiculous thing for me to ask." Brooke turned to Max. "Is it a ridiculous thing for me to ask?"

He simply shook his head. Brooke went back to watching Lucas outside and, after a moment of just looking at her, even if it was the back of her head, Max did the same.

"We used to talk all the time," Brooke went on, "but even then…"

Another heavy and sad sigh followed.

For about another long, lasting minute, Max and Brooke watched Lucas roam the same small patch of grass. After that minute, Brooke got to her feet.

"I better get these upstairs," she said with a grin.

"Do you need help?"

Brooke shook her head and started to gather the bottles. "I'll manage."

Max smiled. "Ok, I'll see you up there then. I'm gonna get Lucas."

He helped her with the fourth bottle of wine and watched her scale the stairs with all of the bottles secure in her arms. The door to the kitchen closed behind Brooke and Max began to head for the door that lead to the backyard.

Before, Max couldn't tell you how summer nights in North Carolina were since it had been so long, but the moment he stepped outside the summers of his childhood came back to him vividly. The humidity was the same. It reminded him of the nights spent playing outside in nothing but boxers and a-shirts. He remembered one particular night when it had to have been a record high. They turned on the sprinklers, laid out their slip-'n-slide and had a summer day at night. Some of Max's time at the Scott home was fun. It wasn't all bad or hard.

Max pushed up the sleeves of his shirt to his elbows and approached his brother. He reached into his back pocket and pulled out his cigarette case.

"Hey," Lucas smiled. He studied the object in Max's hand. "I thought you quit."

"Still working on it," Max shrugged. He put a cigarette between his lips but didn't light it.

"Work harder," Lucas suggested. "Is dinner ready?"

"Just about."

Lucas turned for the door, but Max wasn't going to let him just walk away.

"You don't get to pretend that nothing's happened," he said to his brother.

"For now I do," Lucas replied over his shoulder.

Max sighed, disappointed. He pulled the cigarette off his lips and put it back into the case and put the case back into his pocket. "Lucas, don't walk away."

Lucas turned around and marched back toward his brother. "I came out here to be alone, Max, because I didn't want to have to talk about this. Not right now."

"Do you not realize that you're about to walk back to one of our family dinners? We warned Isabel to tone down the concern, but it is Isabel, she's going to say something."

"And I'm going to tell her to not." Lucas scoffed and shook his head. "Where is this coming from? When did you, of all people, become the guy who wants to talk things out?"

Max swallowed the lump in his throat. "I just don't want you to ignore this."

"Oh, you don't have to worry about that. I don't think I can ignore a daily pill."

"Ok," Max sighed. "I just don't want you to shut us out."

"Doesn't feel good on the receiving end, does it?"

Low blow but the guy had HCM, so Max was going to let it slide.

"If you want to take the route I took, then fine," Max said, "but my health was never a factor, or in this case, a risk."

"It's not like I'm hiding this from any of you," Lucas bit back. "You know. You _all_ know. I just need time to process this. I need to figure out what this means for me. I can't do that if Isabel's going to call me every morning or if Brooke's going to keep asking me how I'm feeling."

Max looked down at his feet, realizing that no matter how much the family tried to tone Isabel down, it wouldn't be enough, and it wasn't just Isabel. It would be all of them. They would all make sure that he was eating the right things. The boys wouldn't let him play basketball with them anymore. All of them would ask if he took his pill. Max would check in with him every so often to make sure he could afford his medication. Life was going to be different for Lucas. It wasn't an incredibly drastic change but it was still a change.

"Ok," Max said. "What do you need?"

"What do you mean?"

"How do you want to deal with this? What do you need to do that?"

Lucas looked at his brother with an appreciative glisten in his eyes. "I was thinking of getting out of town for a little while."

Max started to bob his head in understanding and brought his attention down to the grass. He already knew of a solution. His consideration was regarding whether or not this would be the best for them. It would be the best for Lucas but he knew there would be objections from his family. Considering present circumstances, it was Lucas that mattered most.

"How about this," Max said, "I'll send you and Brooke to L.A. for however long you want, but while you're there, you see a friend of mine, a doctor, one of the best cardiologists in the country. I want you to get an opinion for treatment from him. If he tells you to consult a nutritionist, then you do that. A life coach, a psychiatrist, whatever, you do it."

It took a brief moment for Lucas to evaluate the options, but really, it wasn't hard for him to agree. "Ok," he nodded. "But Brooke stays here."

"Lucas…" Max sighed. "She's the last person you want to shut out."

"I'm not shutting her out. I just want to put distance between her and this. She doesn't need to worry herself with it."

"Shutting her out…Distance…It's all the same thing," Max argued. "And you can't keep her from worry about this because she already does. It's how she should feel."

Lucas chuckled, shaking his head as he did. "You know, if I gave you this talk five years ago, telling you that you shouldn't have pushed away the family, maybe you never would have run away."

Max paused to think about it, but he wouldn't play the "if" game because Max knew now and then that his decision would be the same. No amount of discussion would have kept Max in Tree Hill back then.

"Look," Lucas said. "I just need time to myself. I don't even want to go back in there tonight. Just give me the time to be alone and then I'll come back and everything will be ok."

"Do you really believe that?"

Lucas nodded without hesitation.

"Then ok. When do you want to leave?"

"As soon as possible."

Max took a deep breath already preparing himself for what he would encounter upon returning to his family and friends inside. "Isabel's going to kill me," he sighed. He grabbed his phone from his pocket. "Hey, Thomas. I need you to book the soonest Red Eye flight to L.A."

Lucas watched his brother with a relieved smile on his face.

"No, it's not for me," Max went on. "No, I'm fine. I'll be staying in Tree Hill indefinitely. The flight is for Lucas." He looked at Lucas with sympathetic eyes. "Yeah, he's the one. Arrange everything for him…Yes, with Dr. Roberts. Give him a call as soon as you know. Thanks, Tom."

Max took the phone away from his ear and slid it back into his pocket. "Thomas is going to call when he gets all the details. You can stay at my place. Whatever's there, it's there for you to use."

Lucas sighed as if a huge weight, or at least some of the weight, was lifted off his shoulders. "How do we break it to Isabel?"

If Max could runaway with Lucas, he would. It would be the better option. Runaway with Lucas? Deal with Isabel? The former, without a doubt.

Max swallowed hard. "I'll tell her."

Before Lucas made any effort to leave, he looked at his brother. He was appreciative. The others maybe wouldn't have understood, and those that maybe did wouldn't have helped Lucas like Max. Granted, none of the others had the resources Max had but still. They might tell him that they understand but that the best thing for him to do is stay near family. Something of that sort. A faux kind of understanding.

"Why are you doing this for me?" Lucas wondered.

Max shrugged his shoulders because the answer was simple. "You're my brother."

Lucas continued looking at him, as if studying him.

"I'm not Dan," Max scoffed in offense. "I'm not doing this because I want something in return. I'm not expecting this to make up for running away. That was a choice I consciously made. I have to live with the guilt I carry. I'm not doing this for any other reason than that you're my brother."

"Thank you," Lucas nodded. He held out his hand, offering it to his brother.

Max grabbed it tight. "You better go home and pack. You might have to leave any second."

"Let's hope Isabel's more upset about me bailing on dinner."

"Might be a close call," Max laughed. "I think this wins though."

The brothers broke their handshake and Max found himself watching his brother disappear into the darkness. He retrieved his cigarette case and this time he lit up.


	20. Fire Escape

**20. Fire Escape**

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN HE LEFT?!"

Max expected the yelling. He didn't expect the volume of the yelling. And that was just Isabel's response to Lucas not coming in for dinner.

"HOW COULD HE JUST LEAVE? WHERE DID HE GO?"

Max opened his mouth to speak.

"HE BETTER ANSWER HIS PHONE!" Isabel continued yelling, her own phone tight in her grasp. "I CANNOT BELIEVE THIS!"

Everyone cowered to the noise.

Michael cupped his ears to bring down the decibels. "Isabel, would you please shut up?"

"MICHAEL, DON'T YOU START WITH ME!"

His eyes stretched open wide in pain. He wished he hadn't had those last two glasses of whiskey.

Alex approached his wife. "Isabel, I think Max has more to say."

With a shy, cautious smirk on his face, Max nodded.

"Ok, what else do you have to say?" Isabel asked.

Max got nervous. "Lucas, uh, isn't dealing with this as easy as we thought."

"Really?" Michael chuckled. "So not as easy as we thought? Therefore worse than what I thought? Because I sure as hell didn't think he took it easy at all. He walked out of the room. He couldn't look any of us in the eye."

"Ok," Max sighed. "To be blunt, Lucas isn't dealing with it at all. He wanted to be alone, so…"

Isabel took a step toward her brother. "So…?"

Max cleared his throat. "I suggested he get out of town and head to L.A."

"WHAT?!"

The volume got louder with the addition of Brooke's voice. It made Max wince.

"Look," he sighed, "Lucas needs to clear his head and he can't do—"

"YES HE CAN!" Isabel argued one step ahead of Max. "Don't you say he can't do that here because he can."

"With all this yelling…"

"Michael, shut up!" Isabel growled. She glared back at Max. "How could you send him across the country? He has a heart condition!"

Max rolled his eyes. "I know that. He's going to see a specialist there. He'll get the best opinion possible; the best treatment, the best medication, the best advice."

Isabel moved to yell but couldn't think of what to yell at Max.

"He's going to be ok. I'm going to make sure of that."

Everyone watched Isabel pace in front of them. They waited for her to say something, to tell them what to do next. They sat and watched and waited. No one dared to speak. To do so would snap her out of her thoughts and cause her to snap at them. No. No one dared to speak. So they waited.

"I'm sorry, guys," Isabel finally said.

"It's ok," they all replied.

Her eyes narrowed and pierced Max, Michael, and Nathan. "Not you three," she told them. "I'm apologizing to the others." She addressed her friends. "I think it's best if we call it a night."

They all agreed with a nod.

"Max, Michael, Nathan, you three are packing up dinner."

*~*

Isabel hugged her sister-in-law and kissed her baby brother on the cheek. She stayed by the door and watched them get into their car and drive off. She gave them a friendly wave but when she turned back into her home, she faced her oldest brother and sent him the death stare he was growing accustomed to.

"I wanted to help him," Max sighed.

"You help him by keeping him close," Isabel argued. "You don't know this because you ran away before we got the chance to do this for you, but that's what we do, we support each other."

Max scoffed. "I thought that's what I did. Lucas wanted to be alone. I helped him get away."

Isabel sighed a tired sigh, exhausted and frustrated. "Max, just go home. I don't want to do this anymore."

Obediently, and understandingly, Max nodded. He let Isabel walk away and watched her climb the stairs of her home. After a deep sigh of his own, Max headed for the kitchen to retrieve the meal packaged in paper plates and cellophane wrap. He found his food and the friend he would drive home washing the dishes of the meal now in the two plastic bags on the counter.

"You ready?" Max said.

Brooke finished drying her hands and nodded. Max grabbed the two bags off the counter. One for him. The other for her. He was ordered, by Isabel, to pack both and because, according to Isabel, "it's Max's fault that Brooke doesn't have a ride home," Isabel also ordered Max to drive Brooke home.

After saying goodbye to Alex, the two of them didn't say another word. Max helped Brooke climb into his old military Jeep, the Jeep that Max had had since he was 16. Brooke remembered it well. She took many rides in it when she was younger and snuck into with Lucas, Peyton and Nathan, taking their turns pretending to drive the unique vehicle. She was happy that the top was off. Riding in it with the wind blowing through her hair reminded her of the nights he would take them to night games. He'd drive up to Cardiff Point, which overlooked the fields of Tree Hill High. Brooke remembered the field lights being so bright it reached them all the way up at the Point where they would enjoy the fast food from whatever drive-thru Max took them to on the way to the game.

To see the Jeep again, to be riding in it, it made Brooke happy.

But Brooke didn't divulge any of this to Max. She kept quiet on this drive home.

Max focused on the road. The headlights were dimmer than they should be. He'd have to change them out tomorrow at the garage. Until then, he paid special attention to the dark roads hardly lit by the street lamps. He would've said something to Brooke on the uncomfortably silent ride home but with the top off and the wind whipping through them, it would be hard to hear even his own voice. Mostly, Max remained quiet because he was sure that Brooke was upset with him and he knew that if he'd let her, Brooke would have opted to walk home instead.

The ten minute drive felt long to both of them. Max had the road and driving to focus on at least. Brooke was left with her own thoughts as she slightly leaned out the side of the open Jeep. As soon as the car came to a stop in Max's designated parking spot, Brooke unbuckled her seatbelt and hopped out of the car. She walked toward the building without waiting for Max. He was left watching her trail. Quickly, Max climbed out of the vehicle and jogged after her only to run back to the car to retrieve their packed dinners and carefully sprint to catch up to Brooke who had, by then, made it inside and was heading for the elevator.

Max reached forward, throwing his arm between the elevator doors. Every muscle in his arm clenched, worried that the doors would close on his arm. Thankfully the elevator sensor detected his arm just as the doors were about to touch his skin. He stepped into the elevator the moment there was enough space for him to slide in. Brooke sighed heavily as she pushed the button for his floor.

"You're mad," Max said.

"Not mad." Brooke kept her arms crossed in front of her chest as she shook her head and kept her eyes focused ahead of her.

"Judging by the lack of a reaction as the doors were about to take my arm off, I'd say you were mad."

"Not mad," Brooke said again.

Max sighed heavily. "What then?"

"Disappointed."

Before Max could ask for Brooke to elaborate, the elevator doors opened and Brooke swiftly stepped out and turned the corner. Max was stunned by the departure rendering him too insecure to move. So he stayed in the elevator until it rose to the next floor, his stop. He got out and fiddled with his keys. Upon struggling to get the key into the door Max realized that he still had Brooke's dinner in hand. He looked behind him at the elevator and saw that it was already making its descent down, stopping at a few floors below. Max groaned to himself and finally got into his apartment.

As soon as he placed his keys on the table next to the door, Max saw it. The fire escape outside his window. The fire escape that was modeled after the fire escapes of the older buildings in New York. Before he headed over, Max rushed into the kitchen, grabbed a few supplies, a bottle of Chardonnay from the wine fridge and rushed over to the windows of his living room. He slid a window open with his elbows and maneuvered through it and onto the black iron fire escape.

Carefully he climbed down with his hands full. Thankfully there was only one story he had to descend. It was still a feat and a noisy one at that. By the time Max made it to Brooke's fire escape, she was at the window wondering what the calamity was. At the realization that it was Max at her window, Brooke started to walk away.

"Wait, please?" Max requested. "Please? Look, I have dinner."

Brooke couldn't stop her stomach from grumbling at the mere mention of food. When she started to remember what they were supposed to eat Isabel's, her stomach became more vocal. She was grateful that Max couldn't hear it. She returned back to the window and lifted it open. Her arms crossed in front of her chest again as she leaned against the window frame.

Max crouched down and prepared the impromptu picnic on the fire escape. He pulled out the still warm plates of food and handed one to Brooke with a fork and paper towel. Much to his relief, she accepted the plate and stayed with him by the window, but she remained silent. Max sat Indian style on the cool iron and grabbed the bottle of wine. He unwrapped the seal around the neck and realized he had forgotten a few things.

"Don't move," he told her. "I forgot the corkscrew and glasses. I'll be right back."

Just as he was about to put the wine bottle down, Brooke set her plate down and left the window. Max peered into her apartment and watched as she walked away. She had a lovely apartment. It felt very spring-like, spring like the season. It was full of wonderful pastels that brightened the room even at this moment in the dead of night. It was warm and inviting. It was quaint and seemed to fit Brooke perfectly. He could understand her desire to be around her own things as she had expressed to Lucas weeks ago.

Max watched as she walked to the kitchen. She reached into one of her cupboards and pulled out two wine glasses. On her way back to the window she grabbed a corkscrew. When she returned, she handed the things to Max and remained silent. She picked her plate back up and started eating while Max opened the bottle of wine and poured it into the two glasses. He slid one to Brooke. She immediately took a gulp.

Brooke eventually took a seat on the window sill and Max finally started to eat. He took a few bites but mostly poked at the chicken and moved the potatoes here and there.

"I can understand that you're disappointed," he decided to say.

For a slight second Brooke paused and then continued eating.

"But you said you want me to be his best friend," Max went on. "I'm trying to be. I'm supporting him and helping him get what he wants."

Brooke exhaled sharply and Max grew quiet hoping that she would say something. Finally she did.

"It's not you I'm disappointed in," she said.

"Then who?" Max found the answer in her silence. "Lucas? Why are you disappointed in Lucas?"

"Did he even think about me?"

She wasn't just disappointed. She was hurt and he could clearly hear it in her voice.

"Did he ask for me to come with him?" Brooke clarified.

Max shut his gaping mouth and cleared his throat. "He did," he told her. He then took a moment to figure out how to explain why it was that she was here with him now instead of with Lucas. "I didn't think that it was a good idea," he decided.

Brooke looked up from her plate with her eyebrows in a frown. "Why?"

"_Yeah, Max. Why?"_ he thought to himself.

Max took a deep breath and then a deep swig from his wine glass. "I thought that maybe there should be some distance between you and the HCM. A separation," he explained. "When he gets back, it's a new, altered life for him. He'll take his medication everyday but Isabel will still call him to make sure. It'll be good for him to have something detached from that part of his life. A sort of escape. A distraction from it. You." Max even convinced himself that that was the reasoning.

He grew worried when he watched Brooke shake her head. Maybe she wasn't swayed.

"I don't think that was the right approach," she said. At least she believed it. "I told you we were having…issues. Him being thousands of miles away doesn't help."

For that, Max wasn't going to take the blame. "Regardless if he was here or there, you two would still have your issues. I see you two," Max said. "You guys dance around it like it's not even there. You won't move forward with the engagement because he doesn't give you all of him and he doesn't give you all of him because you won't move forward with the engagement." Max felt like he was on a roll. He started to clean up around him. "It's a cycle and one of you has to break it. You have to do something about it, Brooke."

"That's not fair."

"No, you know what's not fair?" Max said. He put his full plate into the plastic bag without any regard for the food. "My brother proposed to you months ago and you two don't have a date. You don't have a venue. You have the ring but that's it. No progress. It's in your hands, Brooke. Focus on that."

Brooke watched him rise to his feet. "And what about you? What do you have to focus on?"

With just the plastic bag in hand, Max started up the first step back to his own apartment. He stopped to think of an answer. After a moment, he simply shook his head. "It's not about me," he said. "Good night, Brooke."


	21. Little Roman

**21. Little Roman**

There were mornings when Max would wake up but his eyes would stay closed. His mind had woken up but the rest of him hadn't. He would lie on his back, his face looking up at the ceiling, lucid thoughts running through his mind, but by the look on his face, it would appear as if he was still asleep. For minutes he would lie there thinking all the thoughts he didn't have time to think about during the previous day and wondered about consequences and reactions that would fill the day ahead of him.

Everyone had those kind of mornings. The kind where you wake up but you weren't quite ready to face the day and so you stay "asleep," leaving you alone in your own head with your conscience. Some people can go back to sleep. Others desperately want to but can't. It can be agonizing. These mornings can come every so often for just a morning or last for long bouts of consecutive mornings. With Max it was always long bouts and the last time he had a string of conscious-unconscious mornings? Well, they started the morning after Liz told Max she wanted a divorce.

Those mornings eventually stopped and Max was able to escape the intimate conversations with his conscience, but now they were back and Max worried how long they would stay. This time and the last time weren't the right times for him to be left alone with his thoughts.

Today he was consumed with thoughts of his family, his brother Lucas, residing in Tree Hill, living in the apartment above Brooke, the dealership, the garage, being alone…

It was different being alone in Los Angeles. At least Max had the familiarity of the people he worked with. Here, he was new to the dealership. He was walking in from out of no where. It was that new kid situation all over again. Plus, once the business day was over Max would have a lot of time on his hands, time that he would have known how to fill back in L.A. or New York. What do you have in Tree Hill? Weekends were a whole other story and that's what Max was faced with today.

Regardless of what kind of morning it was, the internal clock in Max always woke him around 7AM. When Max reluctantly opened his eyes and stared at the clock on his nightstand, it was a quarter to eight and therefore late by Max's standards. Around this time on a typical morning Max would be finishing up a workout at the gym. He'd head home, set up a pot of coffee to brew and would shower while it did. He'd fix himself breakfast. It was either a bowl of fresh mixed fruit he'd cut up himself or toast and over-easy eggs, the only thing he knew how to cook. After that, it was off to work, off to his fill his day with whatever he could.

With his eyes open, his mind wide awake, Max desperately tried to figure out what he was going to do to make this day go by.

*~*

"Thanks for coming," Max said looking into the rear view mirror of his Jeep.

Sitting slouched comfortably in the middle of the backseat, Michael remained silent and continued looking at the things around him even though there was nothing fascinating about the parking lot of Nathan's apartment complex. Max frowned at the lack of response from Michael. He was sure that the only reason Michael was going along with him was because Maria answered the phone and told Michael to spend the day with Max.

There were many things Max loved about his Jeep, but at this moment, he wasn't loving the fact that it didn't have a radio.

"We haven't really had a chance to talk," Max said. Again he looked into the mirror instead of over his shoulder. "Maria's told me you've been thinking about doing AA."

Michael grumbled under his breath and continued to avoid Max as best he could.

"She said you'll be able to get your job back," Max went on. "That's good. Good for you."

Anything Max said didn't affect Michael in the slightest bit. Max sighed heavily and gave up. It wasn't worth trying. He wasn't getting anything in return. So the two brothers sat in the open Jeep, neither of them giving any attention to the other. It was a wonderful summer day out. That was enough to keep them occupied.

"Hey!"

From the door of his apartment, Nathan waved to his brothers down below in the parking lot. Standing just behind him was Haley, smiling and waving as well. Max and Michael returned the gesture and then watched as Nathan kissed his wife goodbye and hurried down to the military green Jeep. He hopped right into the passenger seat with ease.

"How's it going?" he smiled, looking at Max and then Michael.

Max glanced at his brother in the backseat through the mirror once again and then addressed his brother sitting beside him. "It's going," he sighed.

Nathan turned in his seat and looked back at Michael. "What's up, man?"

All Michael did was lift his chin and continue staring out the sides of the car. When his boredom surpassed his interest in the cars and trees they drove by, Michael closed his eyes and tilted his head back. He basked in the sun while the wind blew over him. He remembered doing this as a child in this very Jeep; drives home from school or rides to the lake during summers like this. Michael opened his eyes and went back to staring at the blurs of trees and cars.

"Where should we eat?" Max wondered.

"I could go for some flapjacks at Eli's," Nathan said. "What do you think, Michael?"

Michael lifted his chin again.

Nathan frowned at Michael's reply but didn't bother getting into it. He had tried too many times before to no avail. He had learned to let it go.

"Has Lucas called?" he asked.

With his eyes focused on the road, Max nodded. "He called late last night, left a message."

"Did you call him back?"

It was only then that Max realized he hadn't called Lucas back. Having studied the reaction, Michael scoffed and rolled his eyes.

"At least I reached out to him."

"You sending him away is reaching out to him?" Michael laughed. "Well, maybe when he gets back I should give him the cold shoulder. You think that'll be a good way to reach out to him?"

"Don't be an asshole," Nathan ordered.

"You were the one who said we needed to give him space," Max reminded Michael.

"Not 3,000 miles of space." Michael rolled his eyes and went back to basking in the sun.

"When we get to Eli's we'll give Lucas a call," Max said, mostly to Nathan.

The drive lasted only another minute or so and then the boys were at the riverside strolling on the boardwalk walking three-wide with Nathan in the middle and Michael keeping a subtle distance between himself and his brothers.

"Everything's still the same," Max said, observing the shops around him.

The brothers responded with nods and they all continued studying the things around them. Eli's was all the way at the end of the walk and until they reached it, the boys passed by a long line of mom and pop stores and restaurants. The brothers knew them all very well. Summers were basically spent on the River Walk if the boys weren't away at basketball camp or at the lake.

There was the ice cream shop that would give out free cones on the days when the temperature was more than a hundred. Sometimes Michael would tamper with the store's thermometer. Max always made sure that he didn't do it too many times a week. Then there was the pet shop that was the first along the North Carolina coast to host a pet adoption weekly, every Saturday morning, and sure enough, today, on the lawn of the store were playpens spiked into the grass with puppies, kittens, dogs, and cats running around in them.

Max drifted away from his brothers and straight to the animals.

"Where you going?" Nathan called to his brother.

But Max kept on walking as if he was being drawn to the barks and meows. For a little while Nathan and Michael stayed in the spot where Max had left them. Their brother kept getting farther and farther away so eventually they followed after him.

The people that huddled around the playpens were mostly only knee high, barely tall enough to see or reach over playpens. Max towered over all the kids, smiling down at them when they looked up at him with their toothless smiles. He didn't hold their attention for much longer and he couldn't blame them. Cute furry animals with glistening eyes trump adults any day.

Max walked over to a pen of dogs that weren't quite puppies anymore but still had that youthfulness to them. None of the dogs were the same breed. Some were full pedigrees others were mixes. They all smiled as they panted and their tails wagged happily in the air, even the ones with nubs for tails. There was one, though, that didn't crowd the walls of the pen when Max approached it. It sat off to the back of the playpen just sitting there looking up at Max.

The dog was a beautiful male pit bull terrier, wonderfully lean. He was caramel in color with eyes and a nose that matched. One ear hiked up while the other bent down. He tilted his head sideways and his tail swayed to a nice and easy rhythm.

Max smiled to himself.

*~*

On a typical Saturday morning, Brooke would find herself waking up in Lucas's bed at Lucas's apartment. She'd carefully roll out from under the sheets and sneak out to the living room. It would usually be another hour or so until Lucas woke up. Brooke would spend this time on the couch. Sometimes she'd catch up on the latest Cosmo or Vanity Fair. Other times she'd just fall back asleep.

On this particular Saturday morning, Brooke found herself in her own bed in her own apartment. It was only about once a week that she slept at her own place. It was refreshing to be covered in her sheets, sprawled out across her queen-sized bed. It felt quaint waking up and seeing all of her things and all of her clothes hanging in her closet. She spotted her drawing table in the living room. Sketches of her designs littered the surface. Brooke smiled with excitement.

Her smile turned into a confused frown as her brows furrowed. The odd sound of scurrying scratches came from the ceiling. Brooke rushed out of bed and threw a thin black hoodie on over her favorite gray pajama tank top and covered her boxer shorts with plush white sweatpants. The noise never stopped and moved throughout the penthouse upstairs. Brooke climbed out through one of the windows in her living room and onto the fire escape. She never thought to ever go out there even though it had a wonderful view of the boardwalk, the river, and the boats parked along the docks. Brooke didn't think it had any other purpose than serving as an escape from fires.

Brooke climbed the iron steps with her bare feet. The parts of the stairs that were in the sun burned her feet but she quickly hopped into the shaded area and enjoyed the cool metal. When she reached Max's floor, she cautiously approached the windows, unsure of what she'd see, but soon the excited culprit behind the scratching noises sprinted into view, sliding around on the hardwood floors trying its best to gain control of its own legs. Brooke giggled to herself and walked right up to one of the windows, crouched down, and leaned against the frame. She watched the dog dart across the room, into other rooms, into furniture, into walls, and then she watched Max walk through the living room and into the open kitchen, his head buried in a book. He would smile when he heard a collision but wouldn't look up because he knew the dog got right back up.

Finally Brooke made herself known by tapping on the window with her finger. At the same moment, Max and the dog froze still and looked at Brooke in the window. She wore a soft smile on her face and waved from the hip. The dog raced right over, a wide smile on its face, and Max quickly jogged after it hoping the dog wouldn't leap into the window. Thankfully, the dog slid to a stop but still bumped into the wall. Brooke laughed, subduing it when Max held the dog back and slid the window open.

"Hey," he chuckled.

"Hi," Brooke smiled. "Who's the new roommate?"

Max looked down at the dog, now still and calm, sitting obediently. "Um…" He squinted his eyes. "I don't have a name for him yet. I've been calling him 'Buddy'."

To that, Brooke scrunched her nose and shook her head.

"Yeah," Max agreed. "I'll figure something out. Do you want to come in and pet him?"

Brooke's eyes lit up. "Can I?"

Max nodded and offered his hand to Brooke. She smiled appreciatively and carefully crawled through the window and into his penthouse with his help. When she noticed what Max was wearing, she suddenly became aware that she was relatively underdressed in her sweats. She quickly started to nervously fidget with her clothing while Max prepped the eager pup.

"Be nice," she heard him say.

Brooke smiled and crouched down to the floor. She opened her arms and Max let go of the dog's black collar. The strong puppy rushed over to her and jumped into her arms sending her onto her bottom.

"Shit," Max sighed. "I'm sorry, Brooke."

He came to pull the excited dog off his friend but Brooke shook her head and continued covering the dog with loving rubs.

"It's ok," Brooke laughed.

She was enjoying the dog. When he calmed down, she was able to wrap her arms around him and give him a hug. She held him at arms length and sandwiched the dog's face with her hands. She looked closely into his dark amber eyes and then that was it. The dog had her heart.

"Oh, I love him," Brooke said with a soft smitten whimper. She was absolutely enamored.

Max grabbed hold of the dog to give Brooke a break and patted the dog's behind, sending him on his way to run around and explore his new home. For a little while, Max and Brooke watched the dog run around the living room, into the kitchen, and around the dining table before disappearing to the other half of the penthouse. Brooke took a seat on the window sill. She watched Max watching the dog like a father watching his child. There was an effortless smile on his face and a shine in his eyes. It made Brooke smile.

"So you got a dog," she said.

Max looked at her with that effortless smile still on his face and breathed a heavy sigh. "I did," he nodded proudly.

It didn't seem like he was going to offer up an explanation. That was ok. It didn't really need to be explained.

"I'm sorry about last night," Brooke said next.

Max brought his attention back to her, a blank expression on his face.

"When you came to my window and brought me dinner," she said as if she were reminding him. "I don't like how we left things."

Max bobbed his head. Not in agreement or complete understanding. He just bobbed his head.

"I've dropped a lot onto your plate," she went on. "Metaphorically speaking of course."

"I think I should apologize," Max realized. "I could have told you those things nicely. I shouldn't have been so blunt."

Brooke shrugged. "The truth is pretty blunt."

Max found himself agreeing.

"I'm still sorry though," Brooke said. "I probably shouldn't unload on you when you've got so much going on as it is. Plus, now you have a dog to focus on."

"If you want to, I am here," Max told her.

"It's just so easy with you," she sighed. "When it's any of the others—Lucas, Isabel, Haley, Maria—they listen but they pad the truth because they're afraid of hurting my feelings. I get anxiety thinking about what they're really thinking, but with you, you tell me how it is and so it's just easy with you."

Max looked at her. She stared into his apartment, not looking at him when she spoke. He wasn't sure what kind of response she was looking for. All he did was bob his head.

"I spoke to Lucas this morning," Max said, deciding to change the subject.

"Yeah? How is he?"

"Ok," Max nodded. "He's doing ok, but he was worried about his bills. He said to ask you for the key to his place."

Brooke shrugged. "I can take care of them," she insisted.

"Lucas made me promise that I didn't let that happen. He didn't want you wasting money on his bills. So I guess I'll be doing that instead."

Taking that into consideration, Brooke realized she couldn't actually afford to take care of them. "Remind me later and I'll get you the key."

Max nodded. "He told me he called you."

"Oh," Brooke said softly. No eagerness or excitement or change in her tone. "I just woke up. I haven't looked at my phone yet."

"You should give him a call when you have the chance," Max encouraged. "Have you thought about what I said to you last night? About making progress?"

Brooke remembered the things he said, all of which was on-the-nose accurate. "Yeah," she nodded. "I'll talk to Lucas about it today."

A weak smile stretched across Max's face. It was the effort and thought behind the smile that mattered. Just then, Max's new best friend ran into the room chasing a basketball across the floor. Both Max and Brooke watched him play.

"How long have you had him?"

"A few hours now," Max answered.

"And no name yet?"

"I couldn't figure anything out and then I tried reading this to maybe get an idea." He held up the book in his hand. It was simply titled, _American Pit Bull Terriers_.

Brooke watched the nameless dog. She looked at Max out of the corner of her eyes every so often. All the while, she was trying to think of the perfect name. She wracked her brain trying to figure out something that would mean something. To Brooke, names carry importance. They can pay homage to things that matter to you, to people you care about. She took note of that from Max and the way he named his hotels.

Finally, a name came to mind.

"What do you think about 'Roman'?" she wondered.

Max looked at her and then the dog. His head tilted to the side as he thought about the name. He carefully pondered the idea. A smirk worked its way onto his face.

"Roman," he said aloud.

The dog shot his attention toward Max letting the basketball roll away.

"Come here, Roman," Max said, patting his thighs.

The dog's tail wiggled from left to right like a metronome at high tempo. With a smile on his face, the dog rushed right over and leapt into Max's arms. Max nuzzled his face against his puppy's and gave him hearty pats.

"I think he approves," Brooke smiled.

"I think so too."

For a little while Brooke watched Max playfully wrestle with Roman. Content, Brooke got to her feet. She walked over to Max and started to rub the top of Roman's head.

"I better get going," she said. "I should give Lucas a call."

Max nodded approvingly and walked Brooke to the window, again offering his hand to her. As gracefully as she could, Brooke maneuvered through the window.

"What are you going to do today?" she asked.

Looking at the dog in his arms, Max shrugged. "I'll probably hang out with this guy."

He saw the smile curl onto Brooke's face as she waved from the hip and started to head down the stairs. Before she got too far down them, Max leaned out the window with Roman still in his arms.

"Hey, Brooke?"

She looked back at him with her eyebrows slightly hiked up in curiosity.

"Where'd Roman come from?"

Brooke shook her head as she shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know," she lied. "It just came to me."

*~*

Max had never been to Lucas's before. He asked Brooke for directions and received a few notes. Entry into the main entrance required a shove and a kick to the door. To get Lucas's mail key into the lock of the mailbox required a bit of wiggling. The stairs were safer to take than the elevator even though they were wobbly. "Wobbly but completely safe" were Brooke's exact words followed by an "I think." And down the hall from Lucas was a little boy who always played outside his door; the boy's door, not Lucas's. The reason Brooke made sure to tell Max was so that he wouldn't be alarmed to find a little boy blatantly staring at him.

After a shove and a kick to the main door, a wiggle of the key to get it into the mailbox's lock and gathering of the growing stack of envelopes, and a climb up three flights of stairs, Max was on Lucas's floor. He cautiously walked to Lucas's studio apartment located at the corner of the hallway and as suspected, when Max rounded the corner, a frighteningly innocent boy was staring at Max with beady eyes. He gave a nervous smile and wave and quickly let himself into Lucas's home.

It was a typical studio apartment. Everything but the bathroom was out in the open. Book shelves, a desk, a couch, and the kitchen table divided the large space into different living sections. Max walked into what was the dining area and straight to the table where apparently Lucas took care of all his bills. Dozens of opened envelopes littered the surface. Max chuckled to himself as he shoved the envelopes aside to gain some clear space where he started dropping newer envelopes. He only looked for specific ones; gas and electric, cable, water, and cell phone service provider. He ripped into each one, wrote a check for the desired amounts, sealed up the envelopes and found a book of stamps tacked to the cork board on the side of the fridge.

Lucas's phone bill was the last one. It had quite a few pages to it. Surprised, Max wanted to look it over to make sure his brother wasn't being had, but he wasn't. Page after page listed the same number repeatedly. A few other numbers disrupted the pattern, numbers Max recognized as their siblings and Brooke's. But this frequently repeated number dominated the list. Texts to and from. Calls exchanged between this number and Lucas's. A 310 area code. Max immediately knew it to be from Los Angeles. He himself had a phone with that area code, but it wasn't his number and he never contacted Lucas this many times.

Max ripped off the payment stub and filled out a check. He shoved the rest of the statement back into the envelope and placed it at the bottom of the stack. Max grabbed the outgoing envelopes and locked the apartment behind him trying his best not to think twice about the phone bill. He wasn't doing a good job.


	22. Slow Run

**22. Slow Run**

Like most weekends, this one went by too quickly.

Max spent Saturday getting used to his new home. He took mental note of the locations of things in his kitchen. He now knew where all the pots, pans, and utensils were. Hopefully he'd make good use of them while he was here, but he still ate take-out or had food delivered. He spent time in his office and browsed the library in it. There were books he'd already read and loved and books he'd been meaning to get to. With a lighter work load and more time on his hands, Max anticipated reading a few of the books from that list.

After he got acclimated with his own place, the rest of the weekend was dedicated solely to Roman. With full days of nothing ahead of him it was the perfect opportunity for Max to give all of his attention to his new dog. In the first day, Max was able to establish which of them was the master. Simple enough. He moved onto teaching Roman the simple tricks like sitting and lying down. It was all relatively easy. Roman was perfect. So well-behaved and loving. Potty-training was a work in progress but even then it wasn't hard to discipline Roman.

Already they were the best of friends. Roman slept at the foot of Max's bed and woke up when Max did. He'd walk with him to the kitchen and wait for his breakfast to be poured into his bowl. He wouldn't start eating until Max started eating. They spent every moment of the weekend together.

But the weekend was over now. It was Monday. Max needed to go to work. His first day.

At seven o'clock, Max woke up. He still hadn't found a gym to work out at. He didn't really try to find one since his substitute was much better anyway. When Max finished his morning routine of using the toilet, washing his face, brushing his teeth, and getting dressed, waiting right outside his bathroom door on an end table was Roman's leash.

"Come on, boy," Max smiled.

He latched the leash onto the ring around the collar and the two were ready to embark on their run. Roman continued heading for the door but the windows in the living room and the fire escape just outside of it caught Max's eye. Brooke tapped the window and waved.

Max tugged on Roman's leash and directed him toward the fire escape. "Good morning," Max smiled as he lifted the window open.

"Morning," Brooke replied, a chipper and cheery smile on her face directed at Roman.

Max gave a chuckle and helped Brooke inside. "What's up? We were just about to go on a run."

"Yeah, I saw you guys running along the river yesterday. Do you think I can come with?"

Roman and Max exchanged glances. After a silent agreement between the two friends were made, Max looked at Brooke and nodded.

A quick stretch in the courtyard and then they started their run. Exercise was a part of Max's daily routine, but cardio was never a big focus. Actually, exercising in general was never a big focus. He did the necessary reps to keep in shape but that was the extent of his workout. Working out for Max was a bit of a struggle. His stamina just wasn't there. It was the smoking, of course.

Max had cut down. Instead of going through a pack every two days, he was lucky to finish a pack in a week, but five years of smoking is still five years of smoking. Hopefully it would get better as he nixed smoking altogether and if he ate better and exercised more and more. Right now, though, the run was a bit of a pain in the ass as Max put in more effort than usual to keep up with Brooke.

"We'll do it again tomorrow?"

Max breathed out heavily. "Sure."

She giggled. Her breathing was regulated and easy whereas Max's were deep and labored.

"You're not quite there yet, are you?"

"Wha?"

"Smoking," Brooke explained. "You haven't quit completely."

Max chuckled. "That obvious?"

"Oh yeah," Brooke mouthed as she nodded.

They walked over the bridge to their side of the river to cool down. Roman's tail swayed and his tongue bounced. It looked like he was grinning from ear to ear. Brooke grabbed the leash from Max's hand and took control of her new friend.

"You want to know something?" she said. "I really like this dog."

Max gave a chuckle and continued walking alongside Brooke. "Me too."

"So what have you two have been up to since I last saw you?"

"Just hanging out together," Max shrugged.

"How's it been going?"

A smile stretched across Max's face. "It's been great."

Brooke saw the grin on his face and couldn't stop one from appearing on hers. "What's on the agenda for today?"

Max sighed. The mood changed from content to disgust. "I have to head into the dealership."

"That should be interesting. Good luck with that."

The whole time he was home, all three days, Max never once thought about his father. The dealership and the garage were on his mind on that first day he arrived but he didn't let Dan enter his thoughts. With the exception of the dinner at Isabel's home, it was a great three days. They were quiet and relaxing. Max got used to being home and it was going good. There was the whole Brooke living below him but he was dealing with it. He didn't let himself focus on that. He had Roman now. Roman was part of his family and his family was his focus. All of them. Except for Dan.

"What'll happen to Roman?" Brooke wondered.

"I got him a kennel. He'll hang out in the living room."

Brooke frowned. "Are you going to be gone the whole day? If you want, I can check up on him every once in a while."

"Yeah?" Max wondered.

"I'm working from my apartment, sketching all day. I could probably use a few breaks."

"Me too," Max sighed. He gave a sad chuckle and then concentrated back on Brooke's offer. "If you could do that, that'd be great. Thanks, Brooke."

"No problem. With Lucas gone, I could use a buddy."

"Did you get in touch with him?"

Though she brought it up, Brooke didn't really want to talk about Lucas. "Yeah," she reluctantly answered.

Beside the one phone conversation Max had with his brother Saturday morning, he didn't know how Lucas was doing. It's not that he didn't want to know. Max did want to make sure his brother was ok but he wasn't about to call him everyday. What good was sending him away to be alone only to call him frequently? Max would leave that up to Isabel and Brooke.

"How is he?"

"Good," Brooke nodded. "He's enjoying himself."

Max bobbed his head along with Brooke's.

"He wanted me to let you know he'll be back by the end of next week."

The head bobbing continued. "We should probably tell Isabel."

"Oh, she knows," Brooke giggled. "Lucas said she's called him about ten times yesterday alone. You haven't spoken to her?"

Max stared dead ahead. "Not since Friday night."

Brooke stayed silent and looked at Max, waiting for him to see that she was waiting for him to elaborate and after a few seconds, Max finally looked over at her looking at him.

He chuckled. "You and I both know that when Isabel's angry about something or, in my case, someone, she's angry for a while and there's no changing that. Everything's on her terms. I give her the space and she'll forgive me when she's ready."

"You like giving people space, don't you?" She asked the question but wasn't look for the answer. From experience, she knew it already. So, instead of waiting for Max to reply, she directed her attention to Roman.

Max opened his mouth to speak, to change the subject, but Brooke beat him to it. He wished she hadn't.

"We picked a date," she told him.

It was a good thing Max had enough self-control to keep himself from reacting the way he wanted to naturally react, but then the immediate response was silence. To Brooke, that was his reaction even though he was tying to figure out the appropriate way to react.

"December 10th."

"December?" Max eyes grew subtly wide. "That's pretty soon."

"We've got a little less than six months."

Max went on bobbing his head. He wasn't sure how he was feeling and then he reminded himself that he shouldn't feel anything. He swallowed the lump in his throat and stayed quiet.

"We were wondering," Brooke went on.

Again, it was something Max wished she wouldn't do.

"We were thinking of having the wedding at the hotel."

Inside Max was cringing. He really wished she had stopped talking.

"Yeah," he reluctantly replied. "I can look into it for you."

And that was it for that. To Max's relief, Brooke didn't go any further into the details of the conversation, or possibly conversations, she had with her fiancée, his brother. Not at that moment anyway. They had finally reached the elevator. Max had between thirty seconds and a minute to tell her that he'd leave the living room window unlocked for her to climb through and explain that Roman ate a cup of kibble for lunch, he needed to be let out every couple of hours and to get him to nap, a good rub behind the ear and on the belly at the same time would put him out. Brooke wondered if maybe Roman should just hang out at her place while Max was away.

"I don't think it's a good idea," he told her. "He needs to know where he belongs."

*~*

Donning one his best suits, Max walked into his father's dealership. Each step was cautious and slow, hesitant and resentful. He hardly ever visited but he remembered it well because he hated it so much. To him, the place was cold. Shiny white tiled floors, beige walls if they weren't glass, and life-size cardboard cutouts of Dan in every corner of the showroom and here and there. The cars in the room were the only things inviting about the place, as should be the case.

Max didn't looked around too much because the moment you stepped through the front door, Dan's office, with it's glass wall, was right there to your left. Dan could see all. Luckily for Max, this time, Dan's head was down, buried in business. Max didn't have to walk to Dan's office door with his father's eyes on him but eventually, Max reached the door, knocked on the door frame and made his presence known. Dan looked up at his son and that stupid smile of his appeared on his face and his eyes lit up.

"Max!"

He got to his feet and took a step away from his chair before Max help up his hand stopping him. Dan sat back down. It was only going to be business between the two of them. Max reached into his messenger bag and pulled out a folder. He dropped it onto Dan's desk and it's contents spilled out for Dan to see.

"I made some changes to the conditions," Max informed him. "I'll do whatever your will says but I take over everything entitled to me now."

Dan chuckled to himself. "Smart boy."

Max didn't reply. If he didn't have to, then he simply wasn't going to.

"Sounds fair enough," Dan went on. "I've got nothing to lose. It'll all be yours eventually. I just need to sign?"

Max nodded.

Dan grabbed a pen and started signing on the line. "So," he said, starting another conversation. "How is this going to work? Are you going to send a management team over to take care of things?"

"Just me," Max succinctly replied.

Dan stopped and looked up. "You?"

This time, Max didn't even acknowledge an answer. He didn't want to have to admit to being there, to taking over the family business, the thing Dan cared for more than his own children.

"Good," Dan said. He went back to signing the papers. "So you'll be moving here then."

It wasn't a question. A statement of fact. Therefore, Max didn't need to say anything.

Dan glanced up without looking up but it was enough of a gander for Dan to see that the five feet between himself and his son was actually miles long. It was only going to be business.

*~*

It was a long day, an unfortunate way to start off the week, but Max thought, since this day had to happen, at least it happened on Monday because now it was out of the way. Starting tomorrow Dan was going to work from his office at the Town Hall. His only title was now Mayor of Tree Hill, North Carolina. Dan Scott Motors and Keith's Garage were under new management.

Max spent the day shadowing his father, learning the ropes and getting to know the employees. For the most part everyone was welcoming. There was the occasional glare but Max didn't let them settle with him. In time everyone would accept him. He would hope so. The employees were nice. The work seemed easy. But it was spending the day with Dan that sucked the energy and life right out of Max. He had never spent so much time with him before. Max hoped he wouldn't have to do it again anytime soon. Dan was overly kind and considerate. It was uncomfortable for Max. It was incredibly unfamiliar. Max didn't like that there was this side to him. Where was it growing up?

The only thing that got through Max through the day was the fact that waiting at home for him was Roman. He drove his antique military Jeep into his parking spot and climbed out with the jacket to his suit slung over one shoulder while the other shoulder carried his well-worn favorite leather messenger bag. He hurried into the lobby and then the elevator. As soon as the doors opened, he rushed to his own door and shoved it open.

Max didn't even get the chance to turn toward the kennel when Roman came charging at him. The larger-than-most pup leapt right into his arms. Max's jacket and bag fell to his feet while he struggled to contain his best friend.

"Hey, buddy! What are you doing out of your kennel?"

He was blinded by Roman's kisses to see that Brooke was right there in the kitchen watching the two of them. She finished pulling the lasagna out of the oven and placed it on the counter to cool. She stared at the dog she had spent her day with and then she stared at the man she had spent her childhood and adolescence with. Brooke couldn't help the way her heart beat.

She took off the oven mitts and placed them on the counter next to the family-sized lasagna. It was going to be delicious, but she wouldn't have a bite of it. She decided moments ago that she needed to leave.

"Hey," Brooke said as she carefully walked over.

Startled, Max dropped Roman. Luckily he was half way to putting him down and the fall was only a foot that Roman handled with ease. Though his legs spread apart when his paws made contact with the wooden floor, Roman recovered and ran off to attack a poor defenseless ball at the other end of the room.

"Brooke, hey," Max said. "What are you doing here?"

She shrugged as if what she was about to explain was no big deal. "I figured you'd be getting home late so I made you dinner." She turned toward the kitchen. "The lasagna's on the counter and the garlic bread is in the broiler."

Max took a moment to savor the air. He took a deep breath and smelled the aroma of tomatoes, cheese, and garlic; a wonderful mixture. "It smells great. You didn't have to do that."

"I know."

Roman scurrying around caught Max's attention. "How was he?" he wondered.

Brooke smiled as she watched the dog. "He was fantastic. Good company."

"You never put him back in the kennel, did you?"

Brooke looked up at the ceiling and tried not to grin.

Max could only chuckle. "I'm not surprised," he told her.

After craving a cold Corona, Max headed for the fridge. Brooke watched him and saw the two bottles he pulled out.

"I can't stay," she told him.

Max looked at the bottles in his hand and returned one to the fridge.

"I actually didn't get much sketching done," Brooke explained.

"Sorry about that."

"Not your fault," she said.

Brooke started to walk toward the window after learning how much quicker it was going down the metallic stairs than riding the elevator but also because it felt fun. It felt as if the fire escape was a secret passage. Once she was through the window, she looked back into the apartment at Max leaning back against the fridge.

"Still on for our run tomorrow?"

Max nodded. "Still on."


	23. Forgotten Reminders

**23. Forgotten Reminders**

"The dinner was great," Max told Brooke.

It was another good run even in the heat of a North Carolina morning. As the sun continued rising, it warmed the already tepid humidity but if you could stay hydrated, it was the best time to run. To be covered in sweat after a workout—there's nothing better. It's a testament of how hard you worked. Don't you ever feel lighter, healthier, and happier after a workout?

"And I have enough left over for the rest of the week," he went on.

"Good," Brooke nodded. "I was hoping you would."

Like yesterday, Max held the leash on the run but on the walk over the bridge Brooke took control. As they walked, she scratched behind Roman's ears. His height made it convenient for both of them. Lucky him.

"I didn't get to ask you how your day was yesterday."

"With the exception of the existence of Dan," Max started, "it went pretty well."

Brooke bobbed her head and prepared to listen to Max go on.

"The work is straightforward," Max said. "All I have to do is make sure the salesmen make the sales and the mechanics fix the cars, and the salesmen are making the sales and the mechanics are fixing the cars. Everything's in fine working order. Everyone knows what they're doing, leaving me without much to do during the day."

"So what does that mean?"

Max looked at her for clarification.

"Well, it sounds like Dan Scott Motors is nothing but a potentially dead-end job for you. Are you still going to go in everyday, sit in Dan's chair in his office and oversee his kingdom? And if you do, are you going to realize that it isn't what you signed up for and leave Tree Hill for New York or L.A. or Paris or wherever you want to go to next? Or have you realized that already and you're going to leave sooner rather than later and this is your way of telling me that?"

Brooke posed excellent questions. Questions that stumped Max. He stopped in place and stared at the ground. After walking five steps ahead of him, Brooke walked back with Roman. She watched Max look down for an answer while Roman patiently took a seat at their feet. Brooke combed her hand over his head repeatedly while she waited for Max.

The waiting took more time than expected. Brooke looked around and spotted a bench not too far from them. She placed her hand on Max's and started walking toward it, leading both Max and Roman.

"What are you thinking?" Brooke wondered as they all sat.

"I'm thinking," Max sighed, "I'm not sure what I'm doing here anymore."

During his time staring at the sidewalk moments ago, Max reevaluated everything. He was here to be with his family. Well, so far it wasn't going that well. He ticked off Isabel enough to shun himself. Michael wanted nothing to do with him. He sent Lucas away. And Nathan—Well, things were ok with Nathan because Nathan always made the exception for his oldest brother.

Max had spent his first weekend in Tree Hill with his new dog. He had suddenly gone shy with his family. He didn't know how to go about doing the right thing, if he even knew what the right thing was, and he didn't. He didn't know what to do. He didn't know what he was doing. Useless. He felt absolutely useless.

"You're here for them, remember? Isabel, Michael, Lucas, Nathan…"

Max looked at her and smirked. "Right."

Brooke could see the skepticism in his eyes. "You do matter to them," she told him. "You can help them."

"How? I tried helping Lucas and it just pissed everyone off, you included."

"I told you I wasn't mad."

Max didn't want to get into it. He looked down at Roman, now laying on sidewalk, and gave him a good belly rub. He sat back up and started to watch the boats sail down the river.

"If I can't do the right thing for them then what am I doing here? I'm going to end up feeling that I don't want to be here anymore," he said. "I don't want that to happen. I don't want to realize that I don't want to be here, because I do want to be here." He regretfully shook his head and sighed heavily. "I already feel closer to that, closer to not wanting to be here, now that I know what kind of job I've got at Dan Scott Motors. It just doesn't help the cause, you know?"

Brooke didn't know what to say. She had no previous experience with anything like this to offer any legitimate advice. All she knew was that she didn't want him to go.

*~*

Beep.

"Lucas, it's Max again. Call me."

As Max walked toward the entrance of his hotel, he could see his baby brother standing outside waiting and looking for him. Max shoved his phone back into his pocket and quickly pulled the cigarette off his lips and flicked it to the ground.

"Nathan!"

Max jogged over and immediately put his arm around his brother. Nathan took one whiff and disgust stretched across his face.

"If Isabel was here she'd slap you upside the head."

Max looked at him confused.

"For the smoking," Nathan explained.

"Well, then it's a good thing she's still not talking to me."

"Still?"

Max nodded. "I think we'll be ok in a few days."

"At least by the wedding," Nathan hoped.

The two brothers walked side by side into the hotel and headed straight for the restaurant. They walked in right past the sweet, very Southern belle hostess and to a table that Nathan led his brother to. It was off in the far corner covered in colorful pages of magazines instead of the regular place settings like on the surrounding tables and sitting in two of the four seats were Haley and Brooke with their eyes glued to everything scattered in front of them.

"What's going on?" Max wondered with a chuckle.

"Wedding planning," Haley said.

As soon as he was in reach, he leaned forward to kiss his sister-in-law on the cheek and then walked around to the chair next to Brooke and sat down.

"How's Roman?" he asked her.

"Just fine," she replied. "I put food in his bowl before I left and I'll take him out as soon as I get back."

"What are you two whispering about over there?" Nathan said.

Brooke giggled. "We're just talking about Roman."

"I've got to meet this dog," Haley said. "Brooke loves him. She won't shut up about him."

Max glanced back at Brooke to see her hiding her blushing face. He smiled to himself and decided to save Brooke any further embarrassment by changing the subject.

"I thought we were going to have lunch," he said.

"We are," Nathan nodded, "but we figured since you're generously paying for the wedding, you should know what you're spending your money on and since we have you for lunch, we thought we'd squeeze this in. Two for the time of one."

"We know how busy you are," Haley added.

Max exchanged glances with Brooke and then focused his attention on Haley. "Actually, I'm really not all that busy. So if you guys ever want me to…"

"What about the dealership and the garage?" Nathan wondered.

While he lifted the magazines to search for his napkin, Max scoffed. "A monkey could run that place."

"Makes sense. If Dan could do it—"

Haley quickly backhanded her husband's arm. "Be nice."

Max laughed.

When he wasn't around his siblings, he lost sight of what was keeping him in Tree Hill, but when he was with them, like now, it was hard to imagine thinking that. It was mostly Nathan, but Max hoped that hopefully the other siblings would come around and remind Max why it was worth it to stay in Tree Hill.

Lunch was eaten on and around the magazines. Poor Haley seemed frantic about the whole ordeal but rightfully so with the wedding being ten days away. Nathan and Haley wanted to have their ceremony before Nathan had to go away to another session of summer training.

At this lunch, it was decided that the wedding was going to take place in the gardens of the hotel. There would be only about 50 guests. Most of which would consist of Nathan's basketball team and Haley's family. The reception wouldn't take place in the restaurant they currently sat in but outside in a tent. It would be placed on the hill that overlooked the river just fifty yards away. The dance floor was going to be placed halfway inside the tent and halfway outside the tent so that, if the guests chose to, they could dance under the stars.

Satisfied with both the lunch and the planning, Haley leaned back in her chair and closed the last magazine shut. "Max, thank you, thank you, thank you."

A wide grin stretched across Max's face. "Anything for you and Nathan, Haley."

"Now that everything is planned out," Nathan said, "all that's left is actually executing it and putting it all together."

Haley groaned.

"No, no, Tutor Wife. As your maid of honor," Brooke said, sitting up straight and proud, "I will take care of everything from here. You don't have to worry about a thing."

Haley put her head on Brooke's shoulder and smiled. "Thanks, Brooke."

Nathan turned to his brother, but before he could say anything, Max had a feeling about what he was about to say and prevented him from saying it.

"Hey, do you mind if I talk to you privately?" Max asked him.

Nathan shook his head and the two boys left the girls with their dessert and coffee. Max guided his brother to the back patio and to the gardens where Nathan's wedding would take place. They started walking along the rows of calla lilies and hydrangeas. By next weekend they would be in full bloom and embellish the wedding site beautifully.

"I didn't want to have to do this in front of the girls," Max explained.

"Do what?"

"I have a feeling you were going to ask me to be your best man."

Nathan nodded and waited for his brother to go on.

Max sighed heavily as he tried to figure out the right way to break it to his brother. "It's not that I don't want to," he started to say. "I would have loved to have been your best man, if I wasn't already Lucas's. I hope you understand."

Nathan shook his head. "I do," he replied genuinely.

"And I don't think Michael would be very pleased that I was your best man and Lucas's too."

"You're right," Nathan said. "I don't think any of us can afford to do anything that would push Michael away any further."

Max felt an uncomfortable knot in his stomach. It was unnerving to hear something like that about his brother, especially when it was Michael. Of the Scott brothers, Michael was the most intense. He was always the angriest and the most frustrated. Isabel may have been the one stonewalling the brothers at this moment but she would forgive them in a week, two at the most. With Michael it'd be two weeks at the least, if they were lucky. Max couldn't imagine what would happen if Michael walked away from them like he did.

"Lucas says he's unhappy," Max said.

Nathan glanced at him and then the ground. "I don't know that for sure. We try to talk to him but he'd rather hit the bottle."

"Why haven't you guys done anything about that?" Max wondered, frustration in his voice.

Nathan scoffed. "We've tried. It's nothing but nagging to him. He drinks more than most and he gets mouthy and pissed off but he keeps himself in check, so we let it slide."

"How can you just let it slide?"

"Because what else can we do?" Now Nathan himself felt frustrated. "We sit him down and talk to him about it and he gets pissed off and shuts himself off. We can drag him to rehab or AA but that won't do any of us any good because he has to be the one who admits himself and acknowledge that he wants to be there and that he has a problem. He won't do any of that."

Max clenched his jaw shut and shook his head. Nathan was right. It was all up to Michael to change. But Max was going to try his best to encourage it.

"Do you talk to Maria much about it?" he wondered.

"Haley tells me they talk about it sometimes."

"What does she say?"

Nathan sighed heavily, reluctant to answer the question. "If someone's unhappy, it's not Michael."

That was all he needed to say.

"I don't want to talk about it anymore," Nathan went on. "How long do you think you'll stick around?"

Max looked at his brother stunned, as if offended. But really, Max shouldn't be surprised that it was a thought on his brother's mind. Any of his other siblings might pose the same question. Max was just a little shocked by the resentment in Nathan's tone. His word choice could have been different. But Max knew Nathan didn't mean to be brash.

There was no definitive answer to that question but to this one, Max would tell the whole truth, and the basis for this answer was this lunch alone. He was beginning to remember why he was here.

"For a while," Max said.

Nathan would take that answer.

Before they knew it, Nathan and Max found themselves at the French doors leading back to the restaurant. They walked inside where the girls were finishing off their coffees and desserts. Max glanced at his watch and did the math to realize his hour lunch break had become an hour and a half lunch break.

"I better get back to work," Max said.

But really, the dealership was going to do fine with or without him present.

"Oh, before you leave," Nathan started. "I forgot to talk to you about it but I was wondering if it would be ok to invite Liz to the wedding?"

Max swallowed the lump in his throat and side-glanced at Brooke to see her reaction. She quickly took her eyes off of the two of them and looked down at her empty coffee cup.

"Fine by me," Max answered his brother.

The server approached the table with the check in her hand, but before she could even attempt to set it down, Max thanked her and took it from her fingertips. He kissed Haley on the cheek goodbye and gave his brother a hearty pat on the back and then he began to walk away.

"What are we going to do with all these magazines now?" he heard Nathan say.

Haley laughed. "Brooke's got her own wedding to plan. They're Brooke's now."

The moment Max stepped foot out of the restaurant, he grabbed his phone. Again, it was a recording of Lucas's voice that Max heard.

"It's Max again. I really need you to call me back. You probably know why, because you know that I know something, but maybe I'm wrong. The only thing I know for sure is that you didn't want Brooke to see your phone bill, so you asked me." Max sighed and reached into his back pocket for his cigarette case. "You have to call me back to tell me that what I'm thinking is wrong. Call me back."

Max snapped his phone shut and put it into his pocket. He lit up a cigarette as he walked through the hotel doors.


	24. River Lights

**24. River Lights**

Every morning around seven o'clock, Max, Brooke and Roman went on a run up and down the river. It was getting easier for Max every day. He still had at least two cigarettes a day but by cutting down that much and consistently running daily, Max was doing better.

Brooke wrapped the leash around her wrist and gripped it tightly with her hand. She watched Roman as he strutted in front of her. She started to think about the past few days she had spent with him. He was such a good dog; so affectionate and obedient. Brooke usually went mad when she worked from home but Roman broke the monotony. He was a great break from work. She'd step away from her drawing table, run up to Max's and let Roman out for a little while. Sometimes she would bring him down to the courtyard and let him run around. Other times they'd sit on the couch together and watch some television. Brooke loved spending time with him.

"How's the wedding planning coming along?" Max wondered.

It had only been three days since the wedding planning lunch with Nathan and Haley, which was the first time wedding planning was brought up to Brooke since first getting engaged about a couple of months ago. She had the magazines from that lunch sitting on her coffee table where she first put them when she got home that day.

"Lucas and I have started thinking about it," Brooke replied. "We've thrown some ideas out there."

"What'd you come up with?"

"Well, we still want the wedding at the hotel."

"Ok," Max nodded. "Do you know where in the hotel you want to have it? We have the ballrooms but if you want to have it outside, we have enough outdoor heaters to keep about a hundred people warm."

"Really?"

"Yeah. A couple wanted to have their wedding right on the docks in winter. The staff was nervous about it but it turned out beautifully."

Brooke looked at the ground seriously considering the possibility.

"You know, my offer to take care of Nathan and Haley's wedding goes the same for yours. Anything you want, you can have."

The two of them exchanged soft smiles.

"Actually, I finally told my parents that Lucas and I were getting married…" She drew the sentence out, thinking about it as she said it, and what she thought was that it felt weird to say it out loud. "Um, and believe it or not, but they are going to pay for everything."

Max's eyebrows rose in surprise. "I don't believe it," he chuckled. "Wow. How are Mr. and Mrs. Davis?"

"I don't really know."

"Will they be coming to the wedding?"

"I don't know," Brooke said again. "I haven't decided if I want to personally tell them when it is or if I want to just send them an invitation and they'll find out along with everyone else."

Max continued chuckling. "That's rough."

"Oh, come on. You know my parents. If they happen to have something planned for December 10th, which they might, they're not going to cancel their plans to come here."

"Maybe you should give them a chance," Max said.

Brooke playfully rolled her eyes.

"I'm serious," Max told her. "I'm here on a chance."

"That's different. You and my parents are nothing alike. You are compassionate and gracious and loving and…" She stopped when she realized what she was saying. "They're not you," she said simply.

Max thanked her with a smirk.

*~*

Roman had his run in the morning, playtime during the day, a walk a little after lunch and then another walk after dinner, but another one today wouldn't hurt.

Michael and Maria lived in a condo up the river from Max. It was a little less than a mile away. On foot it would take about 15 minutes. So 15 minutes after leaving his apartment building, Max and Roman approached the first floor condo that Michael and Maria shared. Sitting outside on the patio was Maria with her guitar in her lap and her attention stolen by Max and his dog.

"In the neighborhood?" she smiled.

Max boyishly shrugged and walked up the knoll to join his old friend. "Roman, this is Maria," he said to his dog. "Maria, this is Roman."

Maria held her guitar out as she leaned over to pat Roman on the head. "Hello there."

A smile stretched out across the pup's face and soon he started panting. His eyes blinked with every tap of Maria's palm to his head. When Max took a seat next to Maria, Roman sat down as well. Maria lovingly rubbed his head and then brought her attention to Max.

"So what are you doing in my neck of the woods?" she wondered.

"Your neck of the woods is my neck of the woods, remember?"

Maria smirked. "Michael's not home. He's at the hobby shop working on his bike."

"I'm here to see you. Just wanted to check in with you," Max explained. "See how you were."

Maria set her guitar on the table in front of her and turned in her seat to comfortably face Max. "Well, I'm doing fine unless word around the Scott siblings says otherwise."

Max didn't want to have to admit that it did but his silence admitted it for him.

"I'm fine," Maria insisted.

"He doesn't hurt you, does he?"

Maria let out an incredulous scoff and turned away from Max, her gaze now directed at the darkness of the night and the river.

"I don't know what my brother's capable of," Max said. "I haven't been around. I don't know."

"Give me some credit, Max. I wouldn't stick around if Michael was beating me. He drinks. That's all."

"No, that's not all." Max started shaking his head. He leaned down to rub Roman's head. It calmed him, prevented him from getting angry. "What is with you guys? Lucas, Nathan… It's like you guys are trying to make excuses for it."

"We're not making excuses," Maria replied. She had been offended. There was a bit of a bite to her tone. "It's just like you said. You haven't been around. You have no idea how long this has been going on, and for a while none of us did either. By the time we all figured it out, it was too late. It was a bad habit but it wasn't a hindrance. It's been his crutch, the one dependable thing in his life."

"Shouldn't that be you?"

Maria's eyes widened as she turned to look at Max.

"I—I don't mean it like that," he stammered. "I'm not blaming you at all. That thought never once crossed my mind. I'm just trying to understand why he started to begin with."

"None of us are going to find that out unless he tells us, and you know him, he's stubborn as hell."

Max sighed heavily as he sat back and tried to understand the whole picture. "So everyone's let it slide because nothing bad has happened. What do you call him getting fired?"

"It's more like a sabbatical."

"Still means he isn't working," Max sighed. "Jesus, what has he been doing for the past few months?"

"He's still drawing up plans and building scale models. Michael's keeping busy. He's not just sitting around doing nothing."

Max shook his head disapprovingly and sighed again. When it came to discussing Michael, regardless of who it was with, it was like running in a hamster wheel. It was the same thing over and over again.

As the two of them sat in each other's company and watched the lights of boats move down the river, Max's eyes drifted onto the acoustic guitar in front of him. He picked it up and cradled it as if he was about to play. He had no clue how to.

"Don't you miss it?" he wondered.

"Miss what?"

Max shrugged. "When we were in college, weekends were always about what club or bar you were going to play at. It was fun for me going and watching you. I never could imagine how it was for you."

Maria grabbed the guitar from its neck, taking it away from Max, and placing it beside her on the empty patio chair. "We all grow up," she said succinctly. Soon, Maria let the thoughts of her past flutter around in her mind. She wanted to change the subject. She needed to. "Is the divorce final?"

For a moment Max just stared at her, studying the expression on her face, trying to get a reading on her. He wanted to know what she was getting at. Assuming that she just wanted to start talking about Liz, Max replied calmly. "No," he shook his head. "We need to be legally separated for a year before we can actually file and sign. So we've got a couple of months until then."

Maria sighed and went back to staring out at the river. "I talk to her everyday and she tells me almost everything except what happened between you two. It's the only thing she keeps from me."

Max couldn't say he was surprised. If Maria had known the reason behind everything, she would have flipped a bitch upon learning that Max was moving back to Tree Hill and was living in the apartment above Brooke's. Had she known, Maria would've beaten Max all the way back to New York. Liz was doing Max a favor by keeping the reason a secret. She knew that if the others knew, it would destroy their perception of Max.

"I'm sorry." It was the only thing Max could think of to say. He didn't want to be the reason why Liz kept secrets from Maria.

"I'm not giving up on you two," she said.

Max looked at her.

"Ten plus years of history?" Maria went on. "I refuse to believe that it's just going to go away."

Max sighed heavily as he got to his feet. "I better get going."

"Do you want me to tell Michael you stopped by?"

"I'm sure he'll be thrilled," Max sarcastically scoffed. "Besides, I came here to see you, remember?"

Maria smirked.

"I'll see you later," Max told her.

He tugged on Roman's leash and guided him back down the knoll, heading toward the river's edge. 15 minutes passed and Max and Roman were walking into the elevator at Griffith Pointe. As soon as they walked into the penthouse, Max unlatched Roman's leash and watched his dog lap up water for a good minute. Roman lowered himself onto the cool tile of the kitchen floor and let his eyes slowly blink closed. Max chuckled and headed for the fire escape with his cigarette case in hand.

Outside, he leaned forward on the cool metal railing and looked out at the lights that decorated the river. It felt good to be on the top floor. The slight breeze from being higher than sea level alleviated some of the summer heat from his skin. Max placed a cigarette between his lips and lit up. He inhaled and then blew out a puff of smoke that the wind took away.

"You're polluting the Earth."

A quick look down below him almost made Max drop his cigarette. He curled his lips around the filter and held it tight as he spotted Brooke sitting on her window sill watching the same lights Max watched.

"Would you believe that it's an herbal substitute?" he said.

Brooke shook her head.

"Didn't think so," Max sighed. "I am trying to quit. I'm cutting down at least. This is my first one today."

With narrowed eyes, Brooke stared him down.

"Ok," Max confessed. "This is my first one tonight." He took one long, deep drag and though the cigarette still had quite a bit of life to it, Max pressed it into the railing, snubbing it. "What are you doing out here?"

"Enjoying the view," she shrugged. "Where's Roman?"

Max looked back into his apartment and saw Roman still in the kitchen laying down fast asleep. "Passed out," he told Brooke. "We just got back from a walk."

"How was it?"

"Enlightening," he replied. "We went to Michael and Maria's. Talked to Maria for a little bit."

"What'd you talk about?"

Max walked down a few of the steps and took a seat. "Michael mostly."

And Brooke knew exactly what the meant. She bobbed her head. "Maria told me that he was thinking about AA, but no one really pushes him to go," she said. She looked at Max looking out at the river. "Maybe you should try."

He scoffed. "He doesn't even want me to talk to him."

"He doesn't want you to but he needs you to. He just doesn't know that."

Max stared out at the river even though all he was saw was black and shimmers of white and yellow—lights reflected in the water. He tried to think of an approach but all the scenarios in his head ended up with Michael swinging at him. There was just no good way to insist on AA or rehab without Michael taking offense. Max would push Michael to go but he wouldn't do it alone.

"I'm going to need Isabel," he said.

"Maybe you should get her to talk to you first."

"There's nothing I can do," Max whined. "She's the one who's mad at me."

Brooke scoffed out loud as she tossed her head back in disbelief. "You're a dumbass!"

Max only watched as she laughed at him. Although she was definitely laughing at him, Max smiled a smile so wide his cheeks hurt. "Ok, you're going to have to explain," he chuckled.

"You're not a kid anymore," Brooke said. Her laughter had subsided, completely gone. This wasn't a laughing matter anymore. "You can get away with being stubborn then but being stubborn now?" She shook her head. "We're adults, things matter to us more. You have so much to lose but them on the other hand…"

"What are you getting at?"

"They've done fine without you in the past five years," Brooke explained. "You think Isabel's torn up about this standoff between you two? She's not. You're the one that's trying to win them over and you're not trying very hard."

"The truth is blunt, isn't it?"

Brooke nodded and slid back into her apartment keeping just her upper body sticking out of the window. "I'll see you tomorrow," she smiled.

Max waved good night and went back to watching the lights.


	25. Suffering Sister

Many thanks, **RhondaAnn1** and **barbarella-1980**! I appreciated your insightful reviews. -H

**25. Suffering Sister**

Max hesitantly walked up the steps to the porch of his sister's home. A week ago he walked up the steps to join his family for dinner. His brothers would find out the results of their HCM tests that night and even though Max was afraid for one of them or both of them, he was also excited to see his brothers and sister. Now, as he extended a finger and reached for the doorbell, Max was afraid again. He had no idea how Isabel was going to receive him. It had been a long time since their last tiff and back then they always blamed it on teenage hormones and emotions.

With all the courage that he could muster, Max pressed the doorbell. His brother-in-law answered the door. Max put on an uncertain smile wondering if Alex was on Isabel's side.

"Hey, Max," he said.

At first Alex hid halfway behind the door but after a moment he stepped out and offered his hand, a welcoming smile on his face. It appeared as though Alex was going to be neutral, much to Max's relief.

"Hey," he replied, shaking Alex's hand. "How's it going?"

"Pretty good. How you doing?"

"Hopefully better in a little bit."

Alex smirked in understanding. "She's upstairs in her office. Come on."

He stepped out of the way for Max to come in. Off in the distance, music was playing. The faint remnants of bacon aroma lingered in the air. It felt very much like a home, but it was too quiet, even with the music on in the background. What was missing in Alex and Isabel's home was children's laughter and babies' cries.

Max found himself being led up the stairs and down the hall to a room that wasn't the master bedroom but Isabel's office instead. Alex peered inside and popped back out.

"Hmm…" he said. "I wonder where she is. I'll go find her. Why don't you wait for her here and I'll send her to you?"

Appreciative, Max patted Alex on the back and watched him leave. As soon as he was alone Max started to study his surroundings. Books covered one wall. Some art decorated another. Windows another. And the fourth was embellished with all of Isabel's achievements. Her Duke undergrad diploma hung proudly right next to her Columbia Law School diploma. Surrounding those were photos of the family. There were pictures from all of their high school and college graduations, birthdays, some holidays, and some from vacations. Max and Dan were not in a single photo together.

That didn't trouble Max one bit. He walked away from the wall and started to move around the room. He walked down the wall of books, glancing at the spines and not recognizing a single title of his sister's law books. Most of them were well-worn. Max had no doubt that Isabel read every single one of them.

Gradually, Max drifted toward Isabel's desk. He had first gone to the windows to see the view of the backyard and of the creek that ran through most of town and into Cape Fear River, and when he took his attention away, it went to his sister's desk. He immediately spotted the photos on her desk. There were four of them; Isabel with each of her brothers. Three of them seemed recent. The fourth was from the last time Max came home. In the photo Max was wearing a tuxedo, black bowtie and all, and Isabel was radiant in her white wedding dress. She was so happy in the photo. Of the four on her desk, she was the happiest in that one.

Max's eyes drifted to the things on her desk. There were a bunch of contracts and legal junk that Max didn't really understand, and then there were some colorful brochures that absolutely stole Max's attention buried under the days' worth of work He picked one of them up and smiled at the pictures of small children smiling.

"What are you doing?"

Isabel stood at the doorway of her office and watched her brother jump at the sound of her voice.

"Nothing," he replied. He carefully slid the brochure back onto the pile and walked around to the front of her desk while she walked to where he once stood. "I wanted to talk to you."

Once she was behind her desk, Isabel shuffled the papers about, hiding the brochures deeper below her work.

"What about?" she wondered.

"A few things. Do you mind if we sit?"

Isabel shook her head and sat in her chair while Max sat on the couch against the wall in front of her. She crossed her arms in front of her chest and gave Max her undivided attention. It felt like Max was meeting with one of his lawyers.

"I know you're still upset about what happened last week," Max started with. "I'm sorry that you were—and probably still are—angry but I'm not sorry that I sent Lucas to L.A. I spoke with Dr. Roberts a while ago, when I first found out about the HCM, and I had planned an appointment with him for whichever one of us that had it. It just so happened that getting out of town was exactly what Lucas needed. I offered him an outlet."

"You mean 'escape.'"

"No," Max shook his head. "An outlet, because Lucas will come back. He's not like me; he'll come back home."

Arms still crossed, Isabel sighed heavily. "You two shouldn't have been conspiring behind our backs."

Conspiring was a strong word, Max thought to himself.

"Maybe you're right," Max told her. "But Lucas is an adult and he could have initiated leaving town on his own, going who knows where? He might have cut off all communication with us. At least we know where he's at and I have people in L.A. looking after him and you talk to him almost daily, right?"

Isabel refused to humor her brother by answering affirmatively.

"He will come home," Max assured her.

For a good while Max just watched her watching him.

"Are we going to be ok? Am I out of the dog house?"

Isabel's crossed arms loosened a bit in front of her chest. "You can't gallop in on your white horse and save the day the way you think is best. When it comes to this family, we have to talk things out." She looked at him regretfully. "And I'm sorry, but you, out all of us, have the least amount of say. You've been gone for so long…"

Even though she had welcomed him home with open arms, Max realized that Isabel, understandingly, was still angry that he had abandoned the family. She was reluctant to let him back in, constantly reminding him that he needed to work to earn his place back in the family, and as of now, he wasn't doing a very good job.

"Isabel, I am trying to do good by you and our brothers. I may not be making the right choices but my intentions are good."

Finally Isabel uncrossed her arms, but she remained silent, trying to decide if she could forgive Max. As he sat there watching her, Max realized it was going to take a while for her to forgive him.

"Ok, I get it," he said. "It's going to take some time for you and me to truly be ok, but do you think, in the meantime you could help me with something?"

"What?"

"Michael."

Isabel was suddenly struck with worry.

"He's not hurt or anything like that," Max said. "But he needs fixing."

"You don't think I've tried with him?" Isabel scoffed. "I've tried everything in the book and do you know what it feels like to fail repeatedly and have Michael hate you on top of that? It's exhausting and heartbreaking."

"Well, I'm here now. I'll take the grunt of it."

Isabel shook her head regretfully, but Max knew that it wasn't just regret. He could see that she was afraid of toll it would take on her. "I don't know if I can go through all of that again."

Max slid to the edge of his seat and leaned toward Isabel. "We have to do something," he urged. "Michael may be content with how he's living his life but Maria's not. She won't admit it but I see it. So if not for Michael, then for Maria. She is one of our oldest friends, practically our sister. She was your maid of honor."

"I know that."

"So, we have to do this for Michael _and_ Maria," Max begged.

Isabel was always so preoccupied and hung up on Michael that she never took the time or even thought to look past the brave front Maria always put up. The two of them would talk about it sometimes with Isabel being the one to always bring it up. Maria would coolly claim she was dealing with it all fine and so Isabel would never push it. She should have.

"Ok," Isabel nodded. "What do you have in mind?"

Nothing. This was as far Max's plan got.

"The only thing I can think of is an intervention of some sort?" Max suggested.

"We tried that," Isabel sighed. "It was horrible."

Max echoed her sigh and sat back into the couch. "We'll have to figure something out, but your support in the matter is a start."

Isabel nodded in agreement. She looked down at her desk top, at the work piling up and the brochures hiding under them. Max studied her nervous and troubled glance.

"I want to help you with that," he said.

Isabel looked up. "What?"

"With whatever you decide to do—adoption, surrogacy…"

"So you saw the brochures."

Guilty, Max nodded.

As if he could see them from where he sat, Isabel moved the papers over every last showing bit of the brochures.

"Right now it's none of your business."

"Isabel…"

"No, Max, don't," Isabel warned.

Max was back on the edge of the couch. "You have to let me in at least a little bit. Let me try to help."

"How are you going to help?"

"I don't know. If you need help with any of the costs…"

"See, stop right there," Isabel ordered. "Do you know how annoying it is that you throw your money around? Do you know who else does that? Dan."

Max, embarrassed, lowered his head and hid his face.

"If you're going to offer help, offer yourself, not your money," Isabel told him. "Support us, be there for us—"

"I do support you," Max said, looking back up. "And I am here."

"Ok," Isabel nodded. "That's more than enough, and if we do need more than that, then we will ask."

Max nodded back in understanding. "Can you talk to me about it?" he wondered.

Isabel looked at her brother. He was so earnest. She could see that he really was trying. The least she could do was throw him a bone.

"Alex and I have tried pretty much since we got engaged," she revealed. Her eyelids fluttered as the tears started to well up. "When we got back from our honeymoon we found out I was already a few weeks along, and then like that it was gone."

Max's heart broke. It was so clear that it pained her, but she continued on, letting Max in. He began to wish that she wouldn't.

"After that, we waited a little while," Isabel said. "About a year later we started trying again and we got pregnant again but it was so hard for us and then we lost that one too." She swiped away a stray tear on her cheek. "It happened three more times."

"You've miscarried five times?" Max asked. His shock was evident in his tone.

Isabel gave a very slight nod. "The last one was, uh…" She sniffled as she counted back. "…a little before your birthday, so about three months ago."

Max's heart broke into tinier pieces and sank to the bottom of his stomach. While Isabel explained each tragic occurrence, Max stared down at the carpet because he couldn't bare to look at Isabel's face. The fourth time was the most tragic. They had managed to get to four months but both Isabel and the baby had been plagued with complications for the majority of the pregnancy. Alex and Isabel were faced with the difficult decision to end the pregnancy or take the risk. Alex wasn't willing to gamble with his wife's life.

Isabel tried to disguise the pain in her voice but it was in trying to hide the pain that revealed it. She spoke dryly, almost too dryly, robotic-like. It was very uncharacteristic of her. The whole time Max kept his eyes focused on a spot on the floor. If he saw the hurt anywhere on her face, he wouldn't have been able to handle it. His regret of not being around, not even knowing about the tragedies his sister lived through, struck him hard.

"I'm so sorry, Isabel."

He finally looked up and saw his sister still sitting at her desk. Her posture was just as straight as it was moments ago when she was angry at him. Nothing had really changed from when she first started talking, except tears streamed down her face. She hadn't bothered to wipe them away. It was as if she was tired of her own sob story.

"I desperately wanted to be pregnant," she said softly. "I still do, but it's just something that can't happen. I've accepted that. There are other options."

Max wore a sad smirk and nodded in agreement.

Finally Isabel snapped back into reality and swiped away the tears with her fingers, so swiftly and delicately. She was a pro. "So," she said matter-of-factly. "We'll figure something out in regards to Michael."

"Yes. I think our first step is just to rally everyone, get everyone on the same page. We can't give up on Michael."

"Right," Isabel nodded, very business-like. "Is there anything else you wanted to talk to me about?" She looked down at her desk and glanced at all the work in front of her.

Sensing that he was overstaying his welcome, Max got up from the couch. "No, I guess not." He walked over to Isabel's desk where he leaned over it and dried the last bit of her tears on her left cheek. There, he placed a kiss. "I'm here," he told her. "Whatever you need." He glanced down at the papers he leaned on and then back at Isabel. He gave a small smile.

Before leaving the room, Max stopped at the doorway. "I'll figure out the Michael thing," he said. He acknowledged the papers on her desk, mostly the brochures hiding under the papers, and again he smiled. "You've got a lot to think about."

Isabel nodded back at him and whispered a "thank you."


	26. End's Beginning

_Just a head's up: You're in for a long one._

_Again, thank you, **RhondaAnn1** and **barbarella-1980**, for your insights._

**26. End's Beginning **

With a half-empty bottle of beer in one hand and a cigarette resting between the fingers of his other hand, Max sat out on his fire escape watching the sky go from bright blue to red, orange, and purple and slowly to dark blue, almost black. Roman laid beside him, right along his outstretched leg. Max rubbed Roman's head with the back of the hand that held the beer bottle. Afterward he took a swig and then a drag from his cigarette. He tilted his head back only going as far as the brick wall would let him and breathed out a sharp stream of smoke.

Though he left Isabel's home with a little clarity, a lot still cluttered Max's mind, a lot of the same things actually. It was almost as if the clarity just opened his eyes to the clutter hiding in the back of his mind.

Max had learned that a beer, a cigarette, Roman, and sitting out on the fire escape was a good remedy for the stress.

Meanwhile, downstairs in the apartment below, Brooke closed yet another bridal magazine and placed it into a pile on the floor. Four magazines rested at her feet, another ten created a neat little tower on her coffee table. Brooke hesitated grabbing the next one. Wedding planning took the fun out of flipping through magazines. Brooke had never looked so closely at a magazine until now. She studied the details of all the pictures and read every single word. It was surprisingly quite exhausting.

Brooke sucked it up and slapped her hand onto the next magazine. She was so reluctant to open it. There had to be something to make the magazine tolerable, and so Brook headed for her living room windows. She slid one open and felt the summer humidity blanket her face. It can be uncomfortable, but to someone who grew up with it every summer, it just felt like home.

Coming from above was the sound of a near empty glass bottle tapping against the iron metal. Brooke looked up and saw the bottom of a beer bottle repeatedly hit the fire escape, along with the bottom of Max and Roman. She glanced at the magazine in her hand and then back up at Max and Roman.

Before climbing through her window, Brooke tossed the magazine to the floor. She scaled the steps and stopped at the top and discovered Max sitting slouched against the brown brick wall, one leg bent, his knee the resting place for the hand holding a cigarette, and his other leg stretched out, Roman right beside it. He didn't acknowledge Brooke standing just feet to his left.

"Are you drunk?" she asked.

Finally Max looked at her. "No. Are you?"

Brooke narrowed her eyes at him. "What's wrong?"

"It's been a heavy day."

"Care to unload?"

Max puckered his lips and shook his head. "What have you been up to?"

Brooke wasn't sure if she should parade her impending wedding in Max's face but she couldn't bring herself to make something else up and lie to Max. "Sadly enough I've spent most of my day doing wedding stuff."

"That's good," Max insisted.

A shrug said Brooke didn't seem to think so. "It's been a little bit of an overload. I've been doing some stuff for Haley's wedding and then I've started to think about the details of mine…It's tedious. Not as fun as I thought it'd be."

"You probably just need someone to do it with."

"Probably," Brooke agreed. "But who? I don't have Peyton here or Lucas. Isabel and Maria have a lot on their plates."

While she spoke, Max was hoping she wouldn't ask him to be the one to help her with it. To his great relief she didn't.

"I think I'm just going to wait for Lucas," she went on, "but still, knowing what we have ahead of us is daunting. I mean, I had to go to the hotel today to double check the table cloths, napkins, and china. Double check them for what? I had no idea. So I just looked at them closely and said they looked ok to me. Then I went to the florists to change the centerpieces from small little baskets to tall arrangements and they wouldn't let me leave without personally arranging the flowers and I had no idea how Haley wanted them or if she even cared. I assumed that she did but I didn't want to bother her and ask her about it, so I was kind of paranoid about the arrangement."

Brooke stopped watching her own hand gestures and brought her eyes to Max. His attention had drifted back to the changing colors of the sky. Brooke walked over and passed in front of Max to get to Roman's side. The dog laid obediently next to his master and mirrored Max's sluggish and deep in thought demeanor, but as Brooke approached, Roman's tail started to sway and he welcomed her heartwarming rubs by rolling slightly and exposing a little bit of his belly for her.

Max looked down beside him and chuckled. He brought the shrinking cigarette to his lips and took a deep drag. Brooke watched as the glowing ring of heat moved closer to the filtered end. Max brought the cigarette from his mouth to the iron metal and put out the small remainder of the cigarette. He dropped the butt into his beer bottle after guzzling the last little bit of it.

"Do you want to talk about whatever it is that's bothering you?" Brooke wondered. She had no idea what was troubling him but she was willing to listen. "I know you said you didn't, but maybe you should."

For a while now, Max just stared at his cigarette butt sitting in his clear beer bottle soaking up the last bit of Corona that never reached his lips. He had only had one other bottle but already Max was feeling the buzz. It had been a long day for him. He was tired. What he had eaten all day came out to be the equivalent of one meal altogether.

"Max?"

He looked up at Brooke patiently waiting and watching him. He would tell her what was on his mind, but he would keep his eyes and focus on his beer bottle. So after his eyes drifted back to the bottle in his hand, Max spoke.

"Isabel's had five miscarriages," he said softly. "That's a miscarriage for every year they've been married."

Though he didn't look at her, Brooke nodded, but Max could, in fact, see her out of the corner of his eyes.

"Five," he said again, "and I didn't know about a single one. I never knew that she suffered through that pain. I wasn't here. I wasn't here for her."

"I'm sorry you never knew," Brooke offered, "but she never went through it alone, we were here for her."

Max nodded appreciatively, his eyes still down on his lap. "It's just not fair that she doesn't get what she deserves. Isabel and Alex tried so hard to get pregnant and every single one was precious and important to them, and it's just made me think about the time Liz was pregnant and how I reacted and my mindset through the whole thing." He grimaced as he shook his head. "I hate myself for it."

The moment Max said those words, "Liz was pregnant," Brooke's eyes had widened and her mouth slipped open in shear shock. She managed to reduce the size of both her eyes and her gaping mouth, but again, despite his lowered head and his attention to the bottle on his thigh, Max saw a hint of Brooke's surprise out of the corner of his eyes.

Brooke was dying to learn more, but she didn't want to pry. She brought her focus down to Roman hoping that the large adorable puppy would get her mind off of the revelation, but you can only rub a dog's belly for so long before the thing you wanted to not think about comes back into your mind.

"Max?"

Finally, he looked at her as she looked up from Roman. He didn't vocalize a response but instead hiked up his brows, dense wrinkles forming on his forehead. His eyes were soft and tired but showed reception and a willingness to listen to Brooke.

"You can say no," she told him, "and I'm not normally nosy like this but just know that now that you've mentioned what you mentioned, it won't ever leave my memory and—"

"If want to know, just say so," Max said.

"I want to know."

Max bobbed his head and let his eyes return to the bottle in his lap. He took a deep breath and then let out a loud sigh. "A few years ago, Liz got pregnant," he started. "The only time we talked about kids was either just before we got married or just after." Max shook his head not being able to remember when. "All we had really decided was that we would be ok with it happening whenever. We were so young then, so we took precautions, but, um…"

"Surprise." Brooke said for him.

"Yeah, but more so for me than for her."

"How so?"

Max nervously scratched his temple, in essence, hiding his face from Brooke. "She, uh, had gone off the pill and was trying to get pregnant," and before he could see or hear any judgment toward Liz from Brooke, Max quickly added, "and I can understand. I can understand why she didn't tell me she was trying and I can understand why she went on and did it."

He stopped there for a moment and Brooke continued to watch him as he rolled to one side of his hip. He reached into his back pocket where he retrieved his cigarette case. He opened it up and studied the five cigarettes resting inside. Habit made him reach for his usual form of stress relief, but Max had no urge to smoke. He glanced at Brooke beside him and nervously chuckled. A smirk unseen by him stretched across her face as he closed the case without taking a cigarette. He put it back in his pocket, got resituated and as comfortable as he could on the cast iron fire escape, and continued on.

"I was always conscious of being kind and a good husband to Liz and I'd like to think I wasn't as much of an asshole as Dan was—and is—but there was a period of time where I was very reminiscent of him. I was so focused on trying to be the best at my job that it was my only priority in life. If Liz hadn't gotten pregnant, that period might have extended far beyond…" Max let his words trail off. He shook his head. "I don't know. We might have been getting divorced sooner. I might have broken her earlier. We might have ended up hating each other. Who knows?

"My career and her research took us all over the world and we tried our damnedest to always make those trips together, but even then, there were trips when we were in the same city and I didn't see her for days at a time because I was so invested in work. And then her research was over, her dissertation was published. I think she started to feel like I was just dragging her along, and the thing is, I never needed to work as much as I did. Liz knew that. So she thought that—even though it didn't seem like it—the timing was perfect. It would have forced me to take a step back because we both knew that if a kid came into the equation, I would make a conscious effort to be the farthest thing from Dan."

Max tried to moisten his mouth. He looked down at the empty bottle in his hand and then glanced over his shoulder. He looked into his apartment, toward the kitchen, and then at Brooke.

"Do you want something to drink?" he wondered.

Brooke's head shook a few times. She desperately hoped that he wouldn't interrupt the one-sided conversation to grab a beverage. She watched in anticipation as he looked back over his shoulder. He didn't move to get up. Max remained where he sat.

"We were at home in New York when she told me," he said. "It was a Saturday and I was supposed to go into the office but Liz asked me to take the day off and she rarely asked me to, so I did. I woke up and I could hear and smell that she was cooking breakfast. She rarely did that too," he smirked, and then he took a deep breath, breathing in through his nose as if he was there in that moment smelling the food in the air. His small smile disappeared quickly and he dove back into his story. "I walked into the kitchen. Her back was to me, so I was going to sneak up on her. But I saw the tests on the counter. They were actually tucked under the rubber-band around the newspaper, which was next to the tray that she was going to put breakfast on. There were two tests. Different brands but the same result.

"I was still staring at the them when Liz turned around. I met her eyes. I distinctly remember the look on her face. It was a mixture of things; surprise, worry, apprehension… And in a moment her reaction was going to change to definitively happy or devastated, all dependent on my reaction."

Max lowered his head and took a moment. "In the seconds leading up to Liz seeing me in the kitchen, I had studied the tests well, and after I registered what they were, I didn't feel anything. I didn't feel happy. Not nervous. Not even scared. And in that moment, I knew that. I was aware that there wasn't any expression on my face, but it felt like time had slowed, so I was able to think about a reaction, and what I chose to do was react positively. I figured that I just needed more time to really think about it all, maybe I would come around. And reacting positively would buy me the time I needed.

"As soon as I put on a smile, any doubt Liz had went away. She was so happy." Max shook his head regretfully. "She ran to me and jumped into my arms, she hugged me as tight as she could, and all the while I was desperately trying to figure out what the hell was wrong with me. I tried to think about all the good a baby would bring, but I couldn't. Every thought in my head was selfish. I didn't want our lives to change."

Max glanced over at Brooke but only for a fleeting moment. He quickly lowered his head, again hiding his embarrassed and ashamed face. "I kept up the act thinking I was going to wake up one morning wanting this baby, and I did want that, but it just wasn't happening." Max ran his hands through his hair while he shook his head. He sat up straight letting the back of his head rest against the brownstone wall of his apartment building. "As soon as she could, Liz looked into doctors, hospitals, midwives; she bought every relevant book she could get her hands on; and she started to convert her home office into a nursery. I wanted to want this baby but truth of the matter is, I didn't try hard enough. While my wife was preparing to be a mother, I was becoming my father."

"I worked and worked and worked," Max said.

Each word took so much emotion, time, and breath, Brooke was sure it was enough to draw tears from Max. It sounded like it did but she couldn't be sure.

"I didn't want my life to change, so I was trying to hold onto it."

"By working."

Max nodded. "I missed doctor's appointments." He cleared his throat before admitting and correcting himself by saying, "Avoided them. I avoided doctor's appointments. But eventually Liz caught on and she made sure that I didn't miss the next one, and by this time in the pregnancy, the baby was a little peanut of a thing. That's what it looked like on the sonogram."

Max paused and looked over at Brooke, wondering what she was doing. Maybe he'd see what she was thinking, but he couldn't see anything but her attentiveness. He gave a shy smirk and she smiled softly in return but he turned his head as she started and she wondered if he even saw it.

He did. He saw the start of it, prompting him to look away.

"I saw our baby," he started up again. "_Our_ baby, this beautiful thing made from a piece of me and a piece of Liz…" Max stared hard at the fire escape railing dead ahead of him. "I could see it, right there on the sonogram, but I didn't feel a thing. I didn't smile like Liz smiled when she saw the screen. I never gasped. My eyes didn't water up. And Liz noticed all of that. Neither of us spoke to each until we got home, and she was the one to speak. She asked me, flat out, 'Do you want this baby?' I didn't say anything right away because I didn't know what to say. I couldn't lie to her. I could never lie to Liz, but I couldn't tell her the truth either. So I kept my mouth shut.

"But, of course, my silence was my answer. Before she could say anything about it, I quickly told her that I just needed time to love the baby. Those were my exact words—'time to love the baby.' Obviously, Liz wasn't very happy. She said she couldn't take that risk, and I couldn't blame her. Who could?" Max dwelled on his sad past for a moment before shaking his head and remembering his place in his story. "Liz grabbed her stomach, covered her mouth, and took a seat. She said she was feeling nauseous, more morning sickness. I asked if there was anything I could do and she said that ginger ale would be nice but that we were out. So I offered to go down to the corner market."

Max took a long, winded breath. He licked the inside of his bottom lip as he shook his head. "It took me ten minutes, maybe fifteen, but it was more than enough time for her. When I got back, Liz was gone and so were some of her clothes. I tried calling her even though I knew what was going on. She never picked up. So I just waited the rest of that day out naively hoping that Liz was going to come back." Max shook his head. "Maria called that night and said that Liz was ok and that she needed some time to think about things away from me, but I didn't want to hear it. I headed to Maria's.

"I begged to talk to Liz. I didn't even know what I was going to say but I just wanted to hear her voice even if it was through Maria's front door." Max let out a quiet scoff. "The only reason Maria opened up was because the neighbors threatened to call the cops, and even then she kept the chain on her door like I was a stranger."

Max went quiet and spent a good minute just staring at a spot on his shoes. The void on his face told Brooke that he was reliving that moment and even though it was years ago that this had happened, Brooke could see the hurt Max had felt then, and she didn't want to feel sorry for him but it was too overwhelming. She bit the inside of her lip to divert her focus ad, thankfully, just as she was about to nearly bite through her lip, Max picked his story back up.

"Even though it was a space this big," he said, using his hands to demonstrate a space that was maybe six inches wide, "I tried to force my way in. I wasn't being aggressive or loud—at least I don't think I was—but it was near midnight and I know I was making a scene and I think somewhere in the back of my mind I knew the neighbors were calling the police but I just didn't care. I stood in that small gap between the door jam and the door itself even though Maria tried to close it on me. I just kept asking to see Liz. I even said that I was sorry, but at the time I didn't really mean it.

"Two police officers—big guys—eventually came. I don't remember much of the interaction. I think I ignored them and just kept trying to talk to Liz. So they pulled me from Maria's door and started to cuff me. That's when I finally saw her. Liz was the one to unchain the door and open it up. She tried to explain the situation to the officers but no matter how you paint it, I was trying to get into Maria's apartment, disrupting the peace, and refusing to leave. It became an ordeal but we were all relatively calm, so I don't know what happened, why it happened."

Max brought his knees up to his chest to support his elbows while he buried his face in his hands. He pressed the balls of his palms over his eyes and shook his head. "She kind of hunched over a little bit and I think her knees were just about to give way before I rushed to her. Everyone grabbed me when I got to Liz; both of the officers, Maria, Liz… When they realized that she was holding onto me to keep from falling to the ground, everyone but Liz let go and even though I was there for her, I still felt so helpless with my arms cuffed behind my back. She was in so much pain, I could feel it by the way she held onto me. One of the officers radioed to a hospital while the other swept Liz up in his arms and took her away from me. Maria went with them in one patrol car and I followed in the backseat of another. I watched from that backseat as Liz was pulled out of the car and put onto a gurney. She was unconscious and being taken into the ER, and there I was, stuck in that fucking police car telling the cop the story of how we came to where we are.

"After I told him the whole story for the third time, he took a second to write notes on his notepad and that's when I saw Maria walk out of the ER. She walked slow, almost dragging her feet and she was looking at me the whole time. She had this apologetic, scared look on her face. Tears in her eyes, down her face, rolling off her cheek. She stopped halfway between the entrance to the ER and the car. The officer finally let me out and walked me to Maria. I still had the handcuffs on but she snaked her arms through and wrapped her arms around my waist, hugging me tight. She hugged me in silence for a little while until I finally grew the balls to ask her what happened. 'She lost it,' she told me. And _finally_, I felt something. I finally gave a damn. I finally cared. And I was too fucking late."

Max lowered his head and reflected for a moment. Brooke felt compelled to say something but she was afraid of bothering him, afraid of saying the wrong thing, and nervous about this surreal conversation. So she kept quiet. She continued to sit right beside Roman who continued obediently lying down, staring at whatever was in front of him. It seemed like he too was recollecting the painful past his owner spoke off.

After drying his eyes with the back of his hands, Max continued. "Everything was a blur from then on. I wasn't being arrested. There were no charges. The police officers let us be. I just remember finally being able to see Liz. It looked like all the blood was drained from her. I thought…" His voice trailed off. He cleared his throat. "When she woke up, she knew what had happened. She didn't want to talk about it. She didn't want to talk at all. She just said she wanted to go home. So she came home with me that night." Max let his head shake. "She was so despondent. The doctor had said that should be expected. The trauma plus the hormones… Eventually, she got better but she wasn't the same, and that wasn't because she lost the baby, it was because of me. She couldn't trust me. She put up a wall. She came back to me but she didn't forgive me and she never would and most importantly, she didn't love me like she used to. I was going to have to live with that, but I was still going to fight like hell to try to get back into her heart."

Max stopped for a moment. For a long moment actually. Brooke wondered if he was done telling his story. He squashed her curiosity by clearing his throat, shifting to get comfortable and taking a deep breath to go on.

"We wouldn't be the same Max and Liz," he said. "We were going to be different. It really was like starting over. I had to regain her trust. I had to help her to remember why she loved me, what she loved about me, and though I still did love her, this was a new Liz, and I needed to fall _in_ love with her as well." The look on his face as he said it told Brooke that it wasn't as easy of a task as he had believed it would be. "So we nearly started from scratch. We revisited all the conversations we had when we were young but now as adults, conversations that really mattered, conversations that determined whether or not we would work. So we did talk about kids again and this time around I really was going to be ok with us having a child whenever. I was a different person. Both of us were.

"Just as we were starting to get better…" Max took a deep breath to prepare for the punchline. "Just as I was starting to fall in love with my wife all over again… We came home for Isabel's wedding and…" He swallowed the lump in throat. "…I saw you, and I found myself falling in love with two women."

Max glanced at Brooke and then quickly diverted his stare down into his lap. It was as if he wanted to see her reaction but at the last second he cowered away. He had looked at her all too briefly, not seeing the magnitude of her surprise. She couldn't speak. She couldn't formulate a word if you asked her to. She was sure that she looked like a stunned sea bass just caught and in the hands of the fisherman.

"What are you thinking?" Max asked her, speaking into his lap.

Brooke tried to gather her thoughts. She tried to scrounge together the courage to speak. She found it to be quite a struggle. It took a while, and the time it took ate away at Max's insides.

All the while he spoke and retold the beginnings of what would be his and Liz's end, Max realized how freeing and healing it was for him. No one knew about the pregnancy besides Liz's parents and Maria. Max and Liz had kept it a secret for so long, hoping that it would be something that would be forgotten or even erased from their history altogether, but it was the seed from which everything sprouted from. Finally telling the story was a release. It was the beginning of closure.

Max looked at Brooke. He studied the perplexed expression on her face. She was looking down at the fire escape like she was reading it. He wondered if maybe he frightened her but if that were the case, he figured that, if he were her, he'd make up some excuse and leave, but Brooke stayed. But soon Max began to wonder if she was just thinking up an excuse.

"Will you please say something?" Max said softly.

Brooke finally looked at him. The baffled expression was still on her face exacerbated by her bouncing jaw followed by silence. Her attempt at a reply was an absolute failure.

With understanding, Max pursed his lips and bobbed his head. "A lot to take in. I know."

"Yeah," she essentially scoffed out. Before Brooke went on, she quickly reexamined all the thoughts in her head as she took a deep breath. "Why did you tell me all of that? Every little detail… Why?"

Max took a moment to think about it. He told himself that it didn't really matter who was listening to him and that if it had just been Roman, he would've opened up all the same, but Max looked beside him. He saw the earnest and anxious yet patient look on Brooke's face and realized that if it had been anyone else, he wouldn't have explained all of the details of the devastating ordeal. The reason he did divulge everything was because it was Brooke, because he wanted her to know when it was he fell in love with her. He wanted her to know that she didn't ruin his and Liz's marriage and that him falling in love with her was a separate event, not something as a result of what was going on with him and his wife. She was an innocent bystander.

After a heavy sigh, Max looked at Brooke and shrugged. "I just thought you should know."

"Why did you think I should know?"

She had said it like she was mad and, yes, she was in fact a little angry. If a person had known they were about to hear all of what Max had said, they would have chosen not to go through with listening to it. Granted, Brooke could have stopped him at anytime. She could have gotten up and went back down to her apartment where bridal magazines were waiting for her. Well, she didn't. Brooke stayed through the whole thing, willingly listening. So she was a little angry, yes, but she wasn't really angry at Max. It just came across that way.

Max remained calm. He gave a boyish shrug. Shrugs suggest uncertainty but Max knew exactly why it was that Brooke should know that bit of his history. "I've never told anyone what I've told you," he said, "but it's been needing to be told for a long time, and I'm not trying to save myself or say that it's not all my fault. I know a lot of what happened between Liz and me was my fault. I take a lot of the responsibility. I own up to it. Things weren't spectacular between Liz and me, but I was never, ever looking for an out. I wasn't looking to fall in love with anyone, let alone you. And, yes, there are other people I could have told all of this to but I told you because if there was a person that should know it all, it's you, because you should know that you didn't ruin my marriage."

He looked down at his dog and then scratched behind Roman's ear to which the dog craned his neck asking for more, but Max stopped and gave his attention to Brooke.

"My eye wasn't intentionally wandering and you didn't wreck a marriage," he said. "My falling in love with you just happened, and as cruel as it sounds, I honestly wish it didn't, but it did and here we are."

Brooke knew he wasn't trying to be mean but she wouldn't lie and say that that didn't hurt. She was sorry that loving her was such a pain in the ass.

"So I thought you should know," he said effortlessly. So casual it was almost rude. "In some weird way, it all makes sense."

It angered Brooke, the way he was being so aloof, and now her anger really was directed toward Max because now it really seemed like he was trying to be mean. Maybe that was his intention this whole time, to make her hate him, because she kind of did, and really, there's only so many ways you can react to this whole situation. Are you going to be happy that he told you all of that? No, you're going to be upset. Maybe a little angry. Maybe you hate him a little.

Her frustration with him, her hatred of him—It made her react thusly.

Brooke watched Max look away, back at the sky in front of him. She let him take in the scenery while she gathered the courage to actually do it. Eventually, Brooke leaned over Roman a bit and reached for Max. She placed her hands on both sides of his face. He watched her hands as they neared but he never thought of pulling away. Her heart raced as she turned his head toward hers so that she could look him in the eyes. She could see how glossy they were, and eyes always have a glossy effect, yes, but this was different. This was a kind of gloss that appeared when emotions get the better of you and you nearly can't handle it all, and then Brooke stopped looking at his eyes and looked into them.

Suddenly, her hatred went away. She could see the way he felt about her and she had never experienced that before. Her parents told her they loved her, Lucas told her he loved her, and she had looked into their eyes many times, but she had never felt so prevalent, so important, so significant, so affected as she did looking into Max's eyes. And then Brooke felt sorry for him. She felt sorry for him because it really was painful to love her given the situation. She was sorry.

Max couldn't remember the last time he was so nervous, but then again he was nervous around Brooke nearly all the time. "What are you doing?" Max objected, but he wasn't very convincing nor was he resisting Brooke's pull.

Brooke took her eyes off Max's and looked down his face at his lips. She pulled his face closer as she leaned in. Their lips nearly met.

But only nearly.

The vibrations of Max's phone made him jump back. In his head he said, "Thank God," while Brooke recoiled back on her side of Roman. She watched as Max retrieved and studied his phone. She waited for him to answer it, but instead, his eyes met hers. The regret in his eyes told Brooke who it was but he would say it aloud anyway.

"It's Lucas."


	27. Game Changer

_Another lengthy one but stick with it. :^)_

_Hello! and thank you, **mercygod**.Thank you always, **RhondaAnn1** and **barbarella-1980**._

**27. Game Changer**

Max stood up with his vibrating phone in hand. He took a step back, stumbling into his empty beer bottle. The clamoring of the glass against the metal made everyone jump, including Roman. Max's eyes darted from the tipped over bottle to Roman then Brooke and finally back on his phone.

"Lucas, hey," he said, his voice shaky. Max cleared his throat hoping to settle his voice as well as his nerves. "Can you hold on a second?" After an affirmative response from his brother, Max took the phone away from his ear and held it across his stomach. "Do you mind if I take this inside?" he asked Brooke.

Max asked to be courteous but he was going inside regardless. She shook her head, giving him the unnecessary permission to climb into his window and back into his apartment. He didn't just stop in his living room. He kept walking away from the fire escape. Through the kitchen. Into the corridor. All the way into his bedroom on the opposite side of the penthouse. He had to put himself as far away from Brooke as possible. Max didn't want Brooke hearing any part of his conversation with his brother.

Once Max shut the door to his room, he finally brought the phone back to his ear. "I've called you nearly a hundred times. You need to answer your phone!" he said through his teeth, his jaw clamped down shut.

"Sorry," Lucas apologized.

But Max barely let Lucas finish. "Don't ever use me like that again," he said.

"Are you talking to me?" Lucas wondered.

"Yes, I'm talking to you."

"Then I'm lost."

Max paced along the foot of his bed. "Your phone bill, Lucas. You asked me to take care of it so that Brooke wouldn't because if she did, she would have seen what I saw. She would have seen all the calls and texts you made—or are making—to someone who isn't her."

"I know what it looks like, but I'm not cheating on Brooke."

"I want to believe you and—"

"I haven't done anything," Lucas insisted.

Max scoffed. "Maybe you haven't done anything physical but what you're doing counts, Lucas. All of that consideration and attention, that time, that effort that you put into those phone calls, into those texts, all of that should be reserved for Brooke, not anyone else."

"You don't know how it is, Max. You don't know what's going on. You don't know how I'm feeling."

Except Max knew exactly how it was. His situation was nearly the same as his brother's. Max did feel conflicted about being the "pot" calling his brother "black," but the difference here was that Max never acted on his feelings for the other woman in his situation, Lucas, unfortunately, did—or had, or whatever.

"Explain it to me," Max said, asking for something he already knew.

He was left listening to a pause. Thoughtful and careful consideration was occurring on the other end. After a moment, Max listened to his brother breathe a loud sigh into the phone.

"I don't want to talk about this anymore," Lucas chose to say.

"We just started! And we WILL talk about this. You owe me that much. Do you realize you've put me in the middle of this mess?" A thought suddenly entered Max's mind. "Jesus Christ, I sent you to L.A. I sent you right to her." He lowered his head, ashamed that he was an accomplice. "How could you do this? How could you do this to Brooke?"

"It's over. I ended it."

And by that admission Max realized just how true the situation was. There was that sliver of doubt, maybe Lucas really wasn't cheating on Brooke, but the sliver kept disappearing and now it was completely gone.

"I can't believe you, Lucas." The statement was coated in disappointment.

"It's done," Lucas continued to claim. "It's over. I've chosen Brooke."

It was like a switch was flipped. Max's heart began to race. His face grew warm. The veins in his neck were a little more apparent than usual.

"You shouldn't have had to CHOOSE!" Max yelled into his phone. "Brooke is yours! She's always been yours! And you go off and have an affair! You fucking idiot!"

"Hey!" Lucas shouted back. "I get it! You have no idea how messed up I've been about this!"

"I won't give you any sympathy," Max said, calmly this time.

Lucas made no attempt to bark back and Max made no attempt to go on. They would have continued screaming at each other until one of them hung up. Neither wanted that. So they both retreated back to their corners. Max took a seat at the foot of his bed and used his hand to press the perspiration from his forehead away. His phone remained at his ear.

"Are you going to tell her?" he heard.

"What?"

"Are you going to tell Brooke?"

"No," Max quickly answered, "I don't need to, because you'll tell her, right?"

Again, he received silence followed by a sigh.

"You have to tell her, Lucas."

"Why?" Lucas naively wondered. "I've ended it. It's in the past now. Why do I have to bring it up? It won't hurt anyone if it's not out there."

Max knew Lucas had a point, but it just didn't feel right and that was, of course, because now Max felt the weight of this secret on his conscience. His conscience didn't matter, though. Max didn't have a move in the matter. He had no say.

"Fine," Max reluctantly replied. "You hold onto this for however long you want to. God knows you can keep secrets."

"That's not fair."

"None of this is," Max sighed. He lied back, plopping on his bed. "It's getting late here, so I'm going to let you—"

"Max, wait."

He went silent and let his brother speak.

"Promise me we'll talk about this when I get back. I mean, this won't get out to anyone, right? This is just between you and me?"

Max could clearly hear the worry and uncertainty in Lucas's voice. It must've been the older brother in him that compelled him to help Lucas out, to take away his younger brother's worry and uncertainty. In almost any other circumstance, Max would help without hesitation, without anguish. This wasn't one such circumstance. But this was his brother. You protect family. You take a bullet for them. This was a big bullet Lucas needed saving from, even if it meant Max compromising himself.

"Just you and me," Max told his brother.

Lucas replied earnestly. "Thank you."

Max nodded a nod unseen by his brother 3,000 miles away. "Good night," he said.

He ended the call before getting a reply. He tossed his phone beside him and sat up. He sat hunched over, his elbows resting on his thighs. Back on the fire escape Brooke was waiting for him. She would ask him how Lucas was. Maybe she would ask him what they talked about or why he needed to take the phone call inside. Max really didn't want to have to think up an answer, a lie. If he could, Max would choose to stay right there, sitting on the foot of his bed, in his room. Avoidance. It's Max's thing. It's his go-to. The way Max saw it, avoidance was better than lying to someone, it was better than keeping secrets. It was dealing with the situation without confronting it.

Not realizing that nearly tens of minutes were passing by, Max sat at the foot of his bed, still hunched over, staring intently at an invisible spot on his carpet as he thought about what to do, even though, really, there was only one thing to do: get back out there. Staying in his room was beyond impractical and incredibly ridiculous. 1) His dog was still out there on the balcony. 2) It was incredibly rude of him to leave Brooke outside. Sooner or later she was going to get tired of waiting and figure out that something was up and she was going to do that by going to his room.

And that's exactly what she did.

Max nearly jumped out of his skin when Brooke tapped on his bedroom window. She didn't mean to scare him. She really didn't even want to have to walk on the fire escape around the whole building just to get to Max, but she had been waiting out there for a while now and he had closed the living room window earlier and somehow it locked. She tapped on the living room window a few times but her knocks went unheard. It was getting pretty windy out there on the fire escape and it was getting late. Mostly, Brooke knew what was going on inside Max's bedroom and she wanted to ignore it. She wanted to go back to her apartment, pick up the bridal magazine that she tossed aside earlier, and she wanted to plan her dream wedding. But Roman was still out on the escape with her and she couldn't leave him out there. Eventually Max would've come back but just the thought of leaving Roman alone for however long didn't sit well with Brooke.

So there she was at Max's window with Roman by her side. His tail swayed from side to side at a nice and easy rhythm. He panted, so it looked like he was smiling. His eyes were wide like his owner's, but while Roman's eyes were wide because he was excited, Max's eyes were wide because he had just been frightened.

"Sorry!" Brooke mouthed.

Max regained his composure and took a deep breath before he got up and walked over to Brooke and Roman. As soon as Max opened the window, Roman leapt down into the room and strutted over to the closed bedroom door while Brooke took a seat and leaned against the window frame.

"Nice room," she said.

Max looked around the room as if he needed to take it in and judge for himself. "Yeah," he nodded. His eyes drifted to his bed where he spotted his phone. He quickly came to a realization. "How long have you been out here?" he asked, with slight panic.

"Outside your bedroom? Not long, just got here. Outside the living room after you left? About twenty minutes."

If he believed her, then she wasn't around for his conversation with Lucas. Max found the smallest bit of relief in that, but he still felt overwhelmingly guilty and paranoid over his brother's secret. It might as well have been his secret given the amount of distress he was feeling.

"I'm sorry I left you out there," he managed to say.

And then that was it. It was an apology that he meant but didn't express as so. He said the words and then he closed himself off. Brooke hated when people did that, when they put up a wall not long after opening themselves up. Lucas was a common offender. She didn't know how to get Lucas to open back up, but in this moment, with Max she knew how.

Because of the way Max couldn't look her in the eye; considering with whom he just spoke to on the phone; accounting for the abnormal protective measures for the call; factoring in Max paying for Lucas's bills recently, Brooke figured it out. She was on her toes. She had been on her toes for a long time now.

Not only was she going to get him to open up because she didn't want to end the night how it was, but she was going to get him to open up because she knew that he had figured out what she had known for a long time now, and she desperately needed someone to talk to. Who better?

"So how is Lucas?" she asked.

Max expected the inquiry. "Good. He said he'll call you," he half-lied.

Lucas never said he would but that didn't mean he wouldn't, so it was a half-lie.

"What else did he say?"

Brooke was slowly reeling him in.

Max pursed his lips together and shook his head. "Nothing much, really."

She narrowed her eyes. "So let me get this straight: You had a short conversation with him about 'nothing much' and then sat here alone for a while or you had a lengthy conversation with him about 'nothing much.' Which one is it? Either way, you've been in here for nearly twenty minutes, and I know you and Lucas, neither of you can talk about 'much' to each other for twenty minutes, let alone 'nothing much'."

Damn, she was good.

"It was a short conversation," Max told her. "So, yes, I've been sitting on my bed thinking. Time got past me. That's all." Since he was speaking of the time, he looked down at his watch and realized that it really was getting late. He wasn't lying when he said, "It's getting late."

Brooke was going to call him out for trying to duck out of the impending conversation but it would have been a more aggressive approach that would have mostly certainly led to a more lively, robust exchange. So instead, she was going to stop beating around the bush waiting for him to slip up. She was going to bring it up herself flat out.

"I know that there's someone else," she said.

Max looked into her eyes. His heart had lodged itself in his throat. He wanted to swallow as hard as he could but he suddenly couldn't remember how to. He would have panicked but he was too consumed with the panic that came with Brooke's confession.

"And you know that too."

Oh, it was such an unbelievably unpleasant feeling being caught. His heart was still about six inches north of where it should have been, beating so fast and so hard that he could feel it in his head, rattling his brain like it was a rock in a tin can being kicked around. Why would people willingly put themselves in situations that would potentially lead to them being caught? Max wanted to pass out just so that he wouldn't have to deal with Brooke at this moment. He felt like he was on the brink of going unconscious.

"How much do you know?" Brooke wondered.

Max remained silent. Maybe it was a trap. Maybe she was bluffing and him admitting any bit of knowledge in the matter would confirm her suspicions. But Max continued looking into her eyes and realized that no one can fake that kind of sadness. This was no bluff.

He couldn't do it. He couldn't deny her and lie to her.

"I don't know a lot," Max told her. "I only found out a few days ago when I paid his bills. I don't know who it is he's talking to."

Brooke bobbed her head in understanding.

"Tonight was the first time I was able to talk to him about it," he added.

"And what did he have to say?"

Now Max just wanted to go ahead and vomit out his heart. Forget swallowing it back down.

"He said that he ended it." And it was like reconfirmation of the affair all over again.

This didn't bring any relief to Brooke. It was lose-lose either way. Her eyes drifted down and Brooke was suddenly in a different place. Physically, she was sitting right outside Max's window on the fire escape, but mentally, she had gone to her quiet place to think.

"Come inside," Max said.

He grabbed her hand and helped her down into his room. He guided her over to his sitting chair and spotted her as she eased in. As he walked to his bed, he rubbed the back of his neck unsure of the next action to take. He took a seat at the foot of the bed once again and watched Brooke. She sat reflective and he wondered if he should disturb her. He could no longer bear the silence.

"How did you find out?" he wondered.

Brooke came back to the moment. "I sort of just figured it out," she said. "He and I used to talk all the time. Really talk, you know? But eventually, that stopped. If he wasn't talking to me, then he was talking to someone else because this is Lucas we're talking about, he doesn't close himself off, ever. There's always someone that he talks to. When we were younger, that person for Lucas was Isabel, and then it was Haley, and then…"

"Peyton," Max said aloud to himself. "It's Peyton."

"I don't know how it started, but I honestly believe that Lucas didn't intend to get so involved with her, it just happened.

"That hardly makes a difference, Brooke. Don't justify this."

"I'm not."

"You are. Lucas is completely in the wrong here." And then Max began to wonder, if Brooke defended him now, how long had she been defending him? "How long have you known?"

"For about a year." She was ashamed to admit it but she told him as if she wasn't, as if she had her reasons for being that woman, the blissfully ignorant woman.

No longer in his throat Max's heart had slammed into the ground. "He's been doing this to you for a year?"

"You asked me how long I've known, not how long it's been going on. That, I don't know."

And just when he thought it couldn't get any more devastating, it did. Max felt a sadness for Brooke.

"You've known about this for a year and you're still with him, and you said yes to marrying him."

Looking Max in the eyes, Brooke nodded.

"Why?"

It was a one-word question. So simple. So quick. But its answer would be so completely opposite; loaded and complicated.

"Because the opportunity presented itself," she said firmly, confident of her answer. "And because I do love Lucas. It's not like I don't love him. I do."

In his head, Max questioned the statement. He didn't doubt that she loved him. It was the kind of love and the degree of it that he wondered about.

"There's nothing right about any of this," he said. "Why did you say yes?"

He asked again because he didn't accept her first answer. It wasn't good enough. It didn't justify her decision to say yes. There had to be another reason, something deeper. So he asked again.

She sat there in the chair staring at random spots around Max's room, looking at them but not really seeing them.

"Brooke."

Finally, Brooke focused back on Max. He looked at her so thoughtfully. She could see that she had his undivided attention.

Brooke took a deep breath and shrugged as she shook her head. "I said yes because the opportunity presented itself," she said again. "Because you and Lucas are more alike than you think and I just wanted what Liz had when things were good between you two. Things were good like that for Lucas and me once, so I have this fantastical…" She had the urge to say "idea" but instead went with, "…hope that when we get married, he'll go back to being the Lucas I fell in love with and remind me of that love. You know, this is all kind of ironic because it looks like I will have what Liz had, a husband who's in love with another woman."

Max lowered his head, absolutely embarrassed.

"I said also yes," Brooke went on, "because when Lucas proposed, he held that ring in front of me and I saw just how real and tangible our relationship was—is. It's not perfect and it won't ever be, but it's something I do have. I said yes because what other choice did I have? If told him no, then I was going to lose him and then what chance did I have at finding something this good again?"

"A good chance. You think what you have now is g—"

"Let me finish." She scooted toward the edge of her seat a bit. "I said yes because I saw that ring and I finally realized that I needed to grow up and stop being so naïve. I needed to give up the fantasy of being with you. It wasn't going to happen. As far as I knew, you and Liz were happily married and Lucas—flaws aside—was going to be the closest I would ever get to marrying the man I've always wanted. So I told him yes. A week after I come to my senses and it turns out I wasn't being so naïve after all. You tell us that you and Liz are getting divorced. Cruel, isn't it? Ironic and cruel."

This was definitely cruel. He had wanted a better answer from her and he should have expected something along those lines but there was nothing that could have prepared him for that. There was nothing left to discuss concerning that matter. Brooke had said yes. The damage was done.

Lucas's unfaithfulness, on the other hand—They barely put a dent into that matter. So, for now, Max would take what Brooke told him and push it aside. Maybe they would revisit it or maybe Max would just keep it pushed aside like he did other things.

"What are you going to do about Lucas?"

Brooke shook her head. "Nothing."

Before questioning her again, Max stared at her. He couldn't believe it was going to be as if nothing happened. "You're just going to let it slide and marry him?"

"Yes," she said certain. "Lucas is allowed to love Peyton because I've been in love with you my whole life."

Max's heart dropped and his breath left him sounding in a scoff. He scratched the back of his head and then rubbed the back of his neck absolutely dumbfounded.

"He loves her but he chose me," Brooke went on. "He could've left me at any time, but he didn't. He does love me, maybe not like he loves Peyton, but he loves me."

"So you think you owe it to him because he decided to stay with you?" He didn't let her answer. "I want you to be happy, Brooke. If anything, I just want you to be happy and you're not and you won't be. Lucas's heart isn't in the right place."

"Your heart wasn't in the right place but you and Liz still tried to make it work."

"Well, it didn't!" Max snapped. He was angry at just about everything. He took a deep breath and calmed down. "Liz and I didn't make it."

"Lucas told you it was over with Peyton, so maybe Lucas and I will be the exception. We're different than you and Liz."

He shook his head disapprovingly. "This is worse, Brooke. Yes, I was married at the time, but I never pursued my feelings. The other difference here, the only bright side in this, is that you can still get out. You haven't married him yet."

Max was aware of how awful that sounded. He was supposed to be on his brother's side no matter what, but he just couldn't and it had absolutely nothing to do with his own feelings for Brooke. It was about the experience of the situation. He went through it, and he suffered, but it had absolutely destroyed Liz, and it would destroy Brooke too. Max couldn't let that happen to someone he cared about again.

"You don't have to marry him, Brooke."

"I told him yes, and if he intends to be there at the altar, then I intend to walk down the aisle. That's the decision I've made and I'm going to stand behind it."

"What if you find out, after you've married, that it's not over between Lucas and Peyton?"

Brooke shrugged. "We'll deal with that bump when we hit it."

"It won't be a bump," Max scoffed. "It'll—"

She went on, talking over him. "We'll deal with it when we get there—if that's what happens—but until then, I'm going to believe that it's over between them, and Lucas and I will work things out."

Lucas's feelings for Peyton weren't going to change. Max knew that because his own feelings for Brooke never changed. They didn't go away. They didn't even lessen. As a result, an already beaten down Liz shattered completely. He had broken her heart and it was never the same.

Max needed to save Brooke.

He swallowed the lump in his throat. "What if I fought for you?" he said.

"What?"

He couldn't believe that he jumped the fence but he just couldn't help it anymore. He didn't want Brooke to suffer like Liz had, and if Lucas had respected Brooke and treated her the way she should have been treated and truly loved her, then Max would have honestly stayed away, but Lucas didn't, on all three accounts. Brooke deserved better and Max felt inclined to step into that role, believing that maybe, just maybe, he would be good enough. Hey, he did love her after all.

"I thought that spending time with you would have an adverse affect on my feelings. I thought that because you were engaged to my brother—"

"Max, I still am. Nothing's going to change."

"Just hear me out," he requested. He looked down for a moment to map out his words on his bedroom floor, not just because he wanted to make sure he was precise with his thoughts and words but mostly because he wanted to mentally see it all for himself to make sure he was doing the right thing. He laid out the pros and cons, the short-term consequences and the long-term consequences, and what Max saw was that people were going to be angry and most definitely hurt, but in the end he truly believed that things were going to work out.

Max nodded to himself and went on. "Honest to God, Brooke, I was going to let you marry Lucas. Even though I loved you—even though I love you—I was only going to be your friend, never anything more. I knew that you were with my brother and I had accepted that you would be with him forever because you two were going to get married. So I thought that if I kept spending time with you then I would be constantly reminded of that, and I hoped that my heart would just give up on you. It hasn't, and now that I know what Lucas has done, what he's doing, I can't let you marry him." He swallowed the lump in his throat and then scooted over a bit on his bed, getting that much closer to Brooke. "It's time for me to start fighting for you, because you deserve to be fought for. So what if I told you that I wanted to be with you?"

"Then things got a lot more complicated."

It was the only complete thought in Brooke's head. Everything else were just fragments of thoughts and feelings. It was too much to absorb. Not that it was a clusterfuck, it was just something so colossal and unbelievable that Brooke had trouble grasping it. There was only one thing her heart desperately wanted and she could finally have him. If only Max hadn't been too late.

"Max, your timing is absolute shit."

"What are you saying?"

"You told me that you and I were never going to happen," Brooke explained. "You said you didn't want to want me. You accepted that Lucas and I are going to get married, and I've convinced myself of that too. We can't go back on our choices. Not at this point, not this far in."

Max lowered his head and rubbed the back of his neck again, this time using his arm to hide his face as he scooted back to where he originally sat, on the far corner of the foot of his bed. "So that's it?" he wondered. "You're going to marry Lucas?"

Brooke nodded. "Nothing's going to change, Max."

"Things have already changed," he told her. "The fact that Lucas has been hurting you for at least a year, that's changed everything. I would have forgiven him if it was a momentary lapse, but this isn't nor has it ever been momentary. This isn't right."

"None of this is," Brooke scoffed. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Roman sitting by Max's bedroom door, facing it. He had been patiently waiting to be let out. Brooke wasn't sure how late it was and for all she knew Max could have been bluffing when he had said it earlier, but she would use the same excuse. "It's late. I should get going."

Max stayed right where he sat while Brooke got up and headed for the door. She walked right past him. He couldn't bring himself to watch her go, so he stared down between his ankles. He didn't see her kneel down and hug Roman. He only heard her turn the doorknob.

"I've got to head out of town tomorrow," he said.

Brooke froze at the doorway. She looked back at him still sitting at the foot of his bed, still staring at the ground.

"Oh," she said softly. "Do you want me to take care of Roman?"

"I'll be taking him with me."

Brooke looked down beside her. Even though the door was wide open, Roman was still sitting at her feet. Not a day went by that Brooke didn't see Roman, not a single one since Max brought him home. In fact, if you tally it all up, Brooke's probably spent more time with Roman than Max has. Tomorrow she would be deprived of the joyful, growing pup. Brooke thought about how her day would go, what it would feel like to be without him. Lonely. She realized that tomorrow was going to be lonely. Just as she was about to ask Max when the two of them would come back, he spoke again.

"I'm only in charge of my own actions," Max went on.

She looked at him confused.

"I don't want you to marry Lucas," he said, "but let's be honest, there's really nothing I can do about it. You are going to do what you are going to do and all I can do is be responsible for myself. So I won't press this issue again and I'm going to take a step back." Finally Max looked up at Brooke. "That means you and I can't be friends anymore."

"Max, what—"

He stood up and started walking toward his bedroom window. As he did, he reached into his back pocket and pulled out his cigarette case. "As far as the wedding, you can still have it at the hotel. Whatever you want, you can have and I'll see to it, but otherwise, I don't want any part in it. I'll be back for Nathan and Haley's wedding next weekend and when I see Lucas I'll tell him that I can't be his best man."

"So this is it? This is the end?" Brooke was struggling to keep her tears from falling down her face.

Max retrieved a cigarette. As he tapped the butt of it against his cigarette case, he studied it hard. It was your regular, run-of-the-mill cigarette, but Max stared at it long and hard because he honestly couldn't stand the sight of Brooke. "Are you going to marry Lucas?"

How could she answer that question after all that's happened? She needed time to think about it, but as far as Max was concerned the answer should have been easy. When he saw that she didn't know what to say, Max bobbed his head and placed the cigarette in his mouth.

"When you've got your answer, you've got mine."

Max climbed through his window and stood out on his fire escape. Brooke turned away before she could see him light his cigarette.


	28. Father's Son

**28. Father's Son**

Max wouldn't admit it but he enjoyed summers at the beach house when he was younger. With the beach basically a hundred feet from the back porch, which was just below his bedroom, Max woke up to the cackles of the seagulls and fell asleep to the lullaby of crashing waves. Every morning he ran in the soft sand as the sun rose over the horizon. To cool off, he jumped into the ocean and then washed off at the shower in the backyard. He'd walk into the house and still there'd be remnants of the beach. It was nearly impossible to escape the particles, but Max actually liked the feeling of walking on the hardwood floor and discovering bits of sand with the soles of his feet. That was summer to him.

Twelve years after the last summer he spent at the beach house and Max had no urgency to revisit that feeling. Instead, he sat in his Jeep just staring at the impressive home for the last half hour.

It was the height of summer. Each house in the beachside neighborhood was occupied, either by their owners or rented by families visiting from out of town. Cars littered the road and filled the driveways. Max was worried that he wouldn't remember which house was the one he spent his summers at and then a house with only a single car in its driveway caught his eye. The car was a black Mercedes coupe. This house Max studied in particular and yes, it turned out to be a house totally familiar to Max. It was their beach house, and the car was his father's.

In the half hour he spent just watching the house, Max drank all of his coffee and smoked a few cigarettes. He pulled cigarette number three off of his lips and put it out with the heel of his shoe. Max retrieved his cigarette case and contemplated smoking number four but was interrupted before deciding.

"You know, you'd be a little more inconspicuous if you put the top up," Dan said referring to Max's ceiling-less vehicle.

He stood right next to Max's car, nearly leaning into the driver's side window. His proximity to the Jeep made Max reflexively lean away and the surprise of his presence nearly made his son toss his cigarette case out the back of the Jeep.

"What are you doing here, Max?"

Max gathered his composure and reluctantly ignored the fact that his cigarettes were now scattered across the floor of his backseat. "I wanted to talk to you about a few things."

"Ok," Dan nodded. "Let's talk. Up at the house."

He tossed his head back slightly, directing Max's attention toward the beach house behind him, and Max looked, and then he looked at the seat he sat in. His continued unwillingness caused Dan to simply shrug his shoulders and leave Max's side. It was when Dan started to climb the steps up to the house that Max finally decided to follow after him, but before he left his car, Max leaned into the backseat and gathered his cigarettes. Once they were back in the case and back in his pocket, he jogged across the street without looking both ways knowing that no one would be up this early on a summer weekend.

"So, good morning," Dan said when Max reached the porch. "Come on in."

"I'd rather not." Max looked at the end of the deck and spotted patio furniture. "Do you mind if we sit?"

Dan shook his head and led the way over. He found comfort with ease lying back into the posh chair while Max decide to sit on the edge of his seat nervously rubbing his hands together and staring down at the wood paneling. Dan watched his son roll to his hip and reach for his back pocket.

"If you wanted to stay out here to smoke, I would prefer you didn't." Dan said. He tapped the left side of his chest and grinned. "Bad ticker."

Max nodded and sat back on his bottom, no cigarette case in hand.

"So what did you want to talk about?" Dan asked.

"A few things, starting with Isabel."

"Did something happen?'

The concern in Dan's voice bothered Max. It seemed feigned and artificial, and even if it was genuine, it still didn't feel right or honest because it came from Dan. It was just too late for him to be a father in Max's eyes. So, to Max, every effort Dan made, sincere or not, would come off as fake. It was almost unbearable. Max needed to convince himself to stay, and thankfully it was easy, all he thought about were the things he came to discuss, his siblings.

"Isabel's fine," he told his father. "Well, to an extent." He saw the inquisitive look on Dan's face and felt compelled to explain. "I just mean that she's not hurt or in immediate danger." Max stopped himself before he started rambling. "No, nothing's happened to anyone," he said calmly. "I wanted to talk about Isabel because I want to help her get a kid."

"Right. The miscarriages. Well, I've recommended doctors and specialists. I don't know what else there is to do."

"There's adoption and surrogacy," Max informed Dan. "It's not official and I don't think she's told anyone really but I know that she's looking into it."

"Where do I come in?"

"I think Isabel thinks that the miscarriages are a sign that she shouldn't be a mother. I think she's afraid to take the next step. We need to reassure her that she's the best one out of any of us to be a parent."

Dan nodded in absolute agreement. "That sounds simple enough."

"That's not all," Max continued. "Whichever direction they want to go, it'll take a while before they make any headway, and I figured, well…" He grew reluctant. "…You are the mayor."

A corner of Dan's mouth lifted, creating a devilish grin on his face. "I see what you're getting at."

Max shifted uncomfortably. "I'm not 'getting at' anything," he said. "I'm just saying that we facilitate the process. Whenever Isabel and Alex decide to go through with the adoption or surrogacy, we make sure that there aren't any problems with progress. The application and approval process needs to go as smooth as possible. We can't let any hiccup get back to Isabel. In no way does that mean we interfere with cash. I'm serious, Dan. Isabel's made it clear that she doesn't want or need any help financially."

"Ok," Dan said. He held up his hands in surrender. "I know someone in just about every adoption agency in the state. I can keep tabs on the progress."

"That sounds perfect."

"What else did you want to talk about?"

"Michael," Max said as if he was running through a list of topics. "I know it's customary in this family to just ignore the problem but Michael's problem puts other people in danger in addition to himself."

"You're right," Dan nodded, "but we've already tried the intervention route, Max, and he still isn't in rehab."

"We have to be more aggressive. Michael's on sabbatical but with the economy the way that it is I know that he can't be living off of what his firm is paying him. You're giving him an allowance, aren't you?"

Dan shrugged his shoulders. "He's my son. He needed help."

"You're allowing him to stay home and drink all day. You have to cut him off."

"How's he going to—"

"He's a big boy, Dan. He had a job once and he needs to get it back."

Dan didn't like the idea of one of his kids being helpless. "Ok, fine," he reluctantly conceded. "What else?"

It was because of his mother that Max knew the true value of a hard-earned dollar and even after Max moved into the Scott home, into the life of luxury and wealth, he stuck by his modest middle-class upbringing. He had money at his disposal but he never splurged like his siblings did. While Max stowed his allowance away for the future, his brothers and sister bought the trendiest clothes and the newest gadgets. The biggest indulger was Michael. It was safe to say that he was the most spoiled. He rode the money train for as long as he could. It was only a year ago that he got his job at the architecture firm, the job he got because he had spent all the trust fund money he received when he graduated three years ago.

Max knew where to hit Michael and in all honesty he didn't want to have to but he was going to hit him hard because it was going to be in Michael's best interest.

"I think you need to cut Michael out of your will," Max said.

Dan laughed "You must be out of your mind."

"Then at least change the circumstances."

"I already have a clause in place for this situation."

"It's not good enough," Max shook his head. "When you die, he'll sober up just so that he can collect. What'll keep him from relapsing?"

"So then what do you propose?"

Max swallowed the lump in his throat. "I'm volunteering myself as executor. Let me distribute Michael's inheritance to him as I see fit."

Before he replied, Dan studied his son. There was only one question on his mind. "Why?"

"Because of what I just told you," Max answered.

"No, I mean why volunteer yourself to become even more responsible for your brother? You could have asked me to alter the terms to 'so-and-so dollars for every year he's sober', but you're willing to look after Michael. Why?"

It was simple. "Michael's my brother."

His answer seemed to satisfy his father greatly. Dan smiled proudly at his son, nodding his head approvingly.

"Ok," he said. "Good as done."

"Thank you," Max timidly replied. He went back to rubbing his hands together. It kept him from wanting to reach for his cigarettes.

Dan saw the anxiety in his son but he knew it wasn't just because of the nicotine craving. "What else is on your mind?"

"I'm leaving town today," Max admitted.

"For how long? What about all that we just talked about?"

"I don't know how long I'll be gone, but whatever the case, I don't necessarily have to be here in Tree Hill to tend to things."

For reasons unbeknownst to Max, Dan started laughing to himself. They had gotten through most of the conversation without Dan imposing his asinine opinions or thoughts, and Max had gotten over Dan's weak attempt at fatherly concern earlier. Max would even say that he forgot for a moment that Dan was an ass but here he was smugly laughing.

"That was quick," Dan said.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Dan scoffed. "Well, it is you after all. I am surprised though. I really thought you were going to stick around longer. What's got you running off this time?"

Max glared at his father not realizing Dan was studying him.

"Is it Liz?"

Max continued glaring.

"Guess not," Dan smirked. "So it must be Brooke."

On the inside Max went from fuming to stupefied. He knew his angry stare had softened but he desperately hoped that he kept his emotions in check and not sprawled out on his face for his father to see. Max's inability to respond, however, told Dan everything he needed to know.

"Brooke should have been my first guess given the situation."

Max couldn't take his eyes off of his father. He tried to figure out what happened to Dan that made him the way he was because it was baffling how Max and his siblings managed to turn out how they did given that their father was a habitual asshole. Sometimes, though, there just isn't a reason. Some people are just socially inept. So Max stopped trying to figure out his father and refocused on the issue at hand.

"How do you know about Brooke?" he calmly asked.

"Call it father's intuition."

Genuinely amused, Max spat out a laugh. "I don't think you really understand what that means."

Dan remained cool. "At your birthday dinner," he started to explain, "you pushed me aside the moment you walked in, but while you ignored me, I paid close attention to you. I'm more perceptive than you think and what I saw was as clear as day."

Max felt inclined to ask Dan what exactly it was that he saw but he stopped short when he realized it would have been a waste of breath; Max knew what Dan would tell him.

"I know what I saw, but what is the situation?"

"You and I are not going to talk about this," Max laughed. He got up and started to pace. His frustration with his father was building up and if he couldn't smoke to find relief then walking seemed to be the next best thing.

"She's your brother's fiancée."

He knew Dan was trying to get him riled up but Max couldn't stop himself from snapping. "You think I don't know that?!"

The moment the words left his mouth Max regretted satisfying his father by responding. He shook his head regretfully, upset with himself. It was a stupid idea to come. Max knew better. Of course his father was going to disappoint him by being typical Dan. Max knew that and he still came over to the beach house. It was masochistic really.

"Look, I told you I was leaving town as a courtesy. It wasn't an invitation for you to pry into my personal life."

"If that was true, then why didn't you just leave after our discussion about Michael? You could have told me you were heading out of town on the way to the airport. Fact of the matter is, you wanted to stick around."

Though he grinned from ear to ear, Max's smile didn't reflect delight or sunshine and rainbows, it was more like bewildered amusement. "Enlighten me."

Dan leaned forward, resting his forearms on his thighs. "My best guess it that no one else knows this deep dark secret of yours and you plan on keeping it that way. You don't want to tell your brothers or sister because you're afraid they'll judge you, or worse, cut you out of their lives for betraying one of them. How am I doing so far?"

It pissed Max off that Dan just had to be so smug and arrogant but what really crawled under Max's skin was the fact that his father was right. Hearing his thoughts aloud from the mouth of someone else, whether it was from Dan or not, hit Max hard. The only bright side of hearing the hard truth was that it reminded and reiterated to Max that loving Brooke was a bad idea and pursuing her was even worse.

"And so here you are," Dan went on. "I'm the one you've come to because you could care less about what I have to say or think. None of that matters to you but I am someone who will listen and you need that right now. I'm all you have."

Max had desperately wished that Dan was completely wide of the mark but he was pretty damn close. It was unnerving that Dan was able to perceive all of that on his own when Max didn't even realize it himself.

"So what is it?" Dan wondered. "Maybe you couldn't stand it anymore, being around Brooke. I've been wondering what the hell you were thinking moving back here."

"For someone who'll just listen, you sure do a lot of talking."

"It gets you to react," he replied. "You're not exactly being completely open with me, so I'm gonna poke and prod around if it gets something out of you, and it does, even when you stay silent."

Since when did Dan become so damn perceptive and insightful? It was impressive actually. So much so that Max contemplated sticking around to tell his father everything on his mind. Thankfully that thought quickly passed and instead of sticking around longer Max eyed his Jeep on the street. Now that he knew of Dan's watchful and overly attentive eye, Max was going to be more careful.

"You're not all I have," he said. He walked straight to the steps and then addressed his father. "You're not all I have because you're not even consideration. I've got a plane to catch."


	29. Unpleasant Pleasantries

**29. Unpleasant Pleasantries**

Max didn't have anywhere in mind when he told Brooke he was leaving town. He lied in bed trying to figure out where he wanted to go. Not a single destination came to him. He couldn't think of any place he wanted to see or particular things he wanted to do in particular places. Soon his thoughts drifted away from locations and settled on the why. Why couldn't he choose a destination? Was it because in actuality he didn't want to leave Tree Hill? Max laughed aloud at the thought waking up Roman who had no trouble sleeping that night. When his laughing died away, Max refocused and realized that he desperately wanted to get away from Tree Hill, but he just had no where else to go.

The next morning Max packed his bags despite not knowing where he was heading off to. He readied Roman for travel, packing up the bare essentials, getting his large kennel out from one of the unused rooms and slipping him an anxiety remedy made specifically for dogs. Afterward, Max sat in his living room letting his thoughts stew. An hour later and Max decided to head to Dan's to talk about other pressing matters. It was involuntary. He simply got off his couch, grabbed his keys, and drove to the beach house knowing that Dan spent weekends there.

It was the last place Max wanted to be and Dan was the last person he wanted to talk to but in the end, the conversation helped Max realize where he needed to go. It was thanks to Dan's statement of, "I'm all you have," that flipped the light switch on. Actually, it was more like it lit a fire under Max's ass. He desperately needed it to not be true. So he simply prevented it from being so.

Now, days later and Max was happy with the decision he made. If only he was happy with the situation he faced coming home.

Nathan and Haley's wedding was tomorrow. Tonight was the rehearsal dinner. It was going to be a small family affair. Max could never remember how many siblings Haley had or what their names were or which sister was which or which brother was which but he really wished they were going to be there, but unfortunately, tonight it was mostly just the Scotts.

Max's delayed flight made him miss the rehearsal itself but if he leapt out of his car, tossed his keys at the valet and ran through the lobby, he would enter through the main entrance of the restaurant in his hotel as everyone else was entering through the patio and garden entrance. Sure enough, he met his family at the French doors even though he stood leaning over trying to catch his breath.

"Well, hey," Nathan laughed.

"Hi," Max breathed at the ground. "I'm sorry I'm late, Nathan."

"It's fine," the younger brother smiled. He grabbed Max's arm and helped him stand upright. "You told us your flight was delayed so don't worry about it."

Max strained to keep his posture but struggled when he realized his heart was beating so hard his body swayed with each throb. He took in deep breaths and hoped that it would be enough to calm himself, but then Brooke walked in with Lucas, followed by Dan.

"Hey, Max," Lucas said cautiously.

Max looked at his brother, noticing his blond hair slightly lighter and his skin tone relatively darker, but mostly Max saw how nervous and insecure Lucas was feeling. All Max could do was nod in response. He glanced at Brooke and nodded his head at her as well but he wasn't even sure if she had seen him look at her or seen the nod of acknowledgment. Max only let his eyes fall on her for the briefest second because it was honestly the best he could do, and then he did the same for Dan. He couldn't have been more grateful that Isabel came in and hugged him tight, taking his attention away from the three people he didn't want to look at any longer.

"Your heart's racing," she said.

Max met Brooke's eyes briefly before he focused on Isabel. "Um, yeah. I ran here."

"From the airport?" Isabel laughed. She placed her hand on his chest and felt his heart shake her arm. "Jesus! It's like you've been running for miles."

Politely, Max took away Isabel's hand. "I'm getting old." He smirked and then noticed his last brother come in. "Hey, Michael."

All he received was a nod, a nod that Max was sure was identical to the ones he gave to Lucas, Brooke, and Dan. Maria silently apologized over Michael's shoulder and waved "hi" to Max from the back of the large group.

"Looks like they're still setting up our table," Nathan announced.

Everyone peered into the private dining room and saw that the servers and busboys worked around a large circular table to get it set.

"I'm getting a drink," Michael said.

He pushed his way through his family and essentially led the large pack to the bar. Isabel jogged to keep up with him. She was probably going to order him a drink before he could order it himself. Lucas and Dan followed. Maria walked with Brooke and Alex offered to escort Haley. Nathan stayed behind with Max, much to the older brother's delight, who genuinely felt guilty for being late.

"So what did I miss?" he asked.

Nathan explained the ceremony in chronological order, starting with the procession order. When he got to mentioning Brooke and Lucas, he referred to them as the maid of honor and best man, and Max nervously rocked on his heels and toes.

"Once we're all up there, you're just standing around."

"Ok," Max replied, his head bobbing. "Sounds simple enough."

"Yeah," Nathan agreed. "But, um, hey, so Lucas had trouble writing up a best man speech. He didn't have enough time to really sit down and think about it when he was in L.A. but he does know of a reading that he says is perfect. He'll be doing it at the ceremony."

"No one's going to speak at the reception?"

Nathan stared at Max and waited for his brother to look at him before responding. It was more fun to see Max figure it out on his own. When Max finally turned to him, all Nathan did was smile.

"Yeah right," Max laughed.

Nathan kept grinning. "Just giving you a head's up. Lucas is gonna talk to you about it."

"Are you serious?" Max sighed. "Shouldn't it be Michael? He's next in line."

"I love Michael and I know that he's got a lot of love and emotions and feelings and all of that junk but when have we _ever_ seen him remotely sentimental, let alone heard him say something sentimental? Besides, we asked him and he politely declined. We knew he would. So come on, Max. You're the perfect guy for the job."

"How?" Max laughed. "How am I 'the perfect guy for the job'? I'm going through a divorce."

"True, but you were married, you were in love, you have the experience, and you know Haley, and you know me. You're the most qualified, Max."

He scratched the back of his head and scrunched his face as he thought about it. There really was no reason not to. Max sighed heavily and nodded.

"Ok," he said. "Don't judge me if I suck."

"I already judge you." Nathan smiled and playfully punched his brother's arm.

Even though Nathan was joking Max felt overwhelming uncomfortable and guilty. He glanced across the room at his family taking up most of the bar. Isabel seemed to be giving the bartender specific directions. He poured just a drizzle of whiskey into a highball glass and filled it to the rim with ginger ale. The glass was then handed to Michael. He begrudgingly began sipping it. Maria smiled at Isabel appreciatively and then focused back on her conversation with Haley and Brooke. Alex was listening as Lucas spoke excitedly about something Max couldn't decipher. And at the end of the bar, sitting quietly by himself, Dan was watching his children.

"Finally," Nathan smiled as he looked in the dining room. "I'll grab everyone."

Max stayed standing by the doors that led to their private dining area and sort of welcomed everyone as they walked by him and to the table. Nathan came back with his arm around Haley. They sat down first. Max smiled when he saw that Michael gentlemanly escorted Maria to the table. He wondered if something happened with Michael in the past week and then he hoped that it was true, whatever it was. Apparently engrossed in their conversation, Lucas and Alex walked into the dining room together. In a fatherly and, yes, kind gesture, Dan offered his arm to his only daughter and led her to the table. Max searched around the rest of the restaurant and then glanced down at his watch. He looked around the main dining room floor and then caught Isabel's eyes when he briefly looked at their table in their private room.

Isabel gestured at the empty chair next to her and mouthed, "Are you coming in?"

"I'll be right back," Max mouthed in reply.

As he started to walk away, he held up his hand telling Isabel that everything was ok. That same hand reached into his jacket pocket as soon as he was out of sight. While he fished through his pocket, he also looked down at his watch once again and in essence didn't see where he was marching. If he had seen her coming, he would have turned back around or walked all the way around the room to avoid her. Instead, Max bumped right into Brooke.

"Jesus! I'm so sorry!" Max apologized, his head still down.

He instinctively took a step back and when he finally looked up to see that Brooke was in front of him, he stepped back even farther. Brooke studied the distance he put between them and Max watched her as she stared sadly.

"I didn't think you were going to show up tonight," she said quietly. "I thought maybe we were just going to see you tomorrow."

Max let his head bob as Brooke spoke. "Yeah," he said succinctly. He nervously rubbed the back of his neck. If he only knew how red it was getting from the rubbing and his blushing due to his sudden anxiety.

Brooke felt so uncomfortable with the lack of response from Max. She might as well have been talking to herself. "Well I'm glad you're here," she said.

That was all she could bring herself to say even though she had about a million things on her mind. She let the silence settle in because she was afraid to bring up what she had been thinking about non-stop for the past week. She spent the silence trying to convince herself to just come out with it but her fear kept everything bottled up. She grew even more nervous when she noticed the impatience in Max. It certainly didn't help when he looked down at his watch. He brought his hand back into his jacket.

"Were you going out for a smoke?" Brooke decided to say.

"Yeah."

"Oh."

There was disappointment in the fact that he was back to smoking again and because he was so short with his response. It was straight and to the point. A nod would have had more emotion and effort in it. She might as well have been a stranger the way he was talking to her.

"Ok," Brooke said falsely upbeat. "Well, I'll let you go do that."

Max lifted a corner of his mouth. Even though it looked like a smile, it had the sentiment of a frown. He took a step to Brooke's side as he pulled out his cigarette case and cell phone. Brooke watched him start to walk away and finally her conscience kicked her in the ass. She lunged forward and grabbed his arm.

"Wait," she told him.

Max reluctantly gave her his attention.

"I need to talk to you about this past week." Brooke took a deep breath and ironed out the front of her dress on the exhale. "When you said that you were leaving town, I knew that I didn't want to be in Tree Hill either. So I went to Charlotte the next day and I intended to stay until today but I didn't even make it there. I think I was about an hour out before I turned around and came back, and I came back because I wanted to see Roman."

Max chuckled.

"I wanted to see you," Brooke said.

Max killed his smile.

"I went straight into my apartment, climbed through my window and rushed up the fire escape, but you and Roman had already left."

"Are you going somewhere with this?"

Brooke nodded. "The point is I didn't like how I felt while you were gone. I was feeling the way I felt ten years ago, when you stopped coming home, when you stopped communicating with us. I was missing you all over again." Brooke looked at him, not to see how he reacted, but to show him just how much she meant was she was about to say. "I hated that feeling then and I still hate it now. What helped me get over it, over you, was Lucas."

Max brought his eyes to his feet. He didn't want to look at her. She had shot him down once before and she was shooting him down again, but this time it was unprovoked. He didn't want to hear what else she had to say but Max couldn't bring himself to just walk away. So he looked at the ground and let her continue, but when he didn't hear her go on as he expected her to, Max looked back up at Brooke and saw that something had distracted her. She was looking past him into the hotel lobby.

Suddenly Brooke was no longer in control of the moment. She went from being confident in her words to timid and holed up in herself.

"Liz," she said. "Hi."

Max jerked around to see his ex-wife walk up next to him. "Hey," he nervously chuckled. "I was just about to call a search party."

"Sorry," Liz apologized. "After I fed Roman I took him to the courtyard and I guess he missed it because he started spazzing out. Anyway, he accidentally stepped in something and I had to give him a bath, and I have to tell you, that was not easy."

A pang of jealousy hit Brooke in her gut. She didn't like the idea of someone else spending quality time with Roman, amongst other things, but she swallowed her pride. "Roman's, um, got a bunch of rubber squeak toys. The trick is to lure him to the door with them and then throw them into the tub. He's like a kid, he doesn't want to take a bath unless he's got his toys."

"Damn. I wish I knew that. It was like dragging a dead body," Liz laughed. "How are you, Brooke?"

"Good," she insisted. "Good."

"That's good," Liz nodded.

Unfortunately, "good" was as articulate as the girls could get.

"So what's going on?" Liz wondered. "What are you guys doing here?"

"Oh. I was going to look for you and…" Max pointed at Brooke, cueing her to tell her side.

"I was coming from the ladies' room," she said. "Max and I just bumped into each other."

Liz smiled and started walking into the restaurant. "Ok, well, I'm here and, Brooke, you're done with the ladies' room, so let's go eat. I'm starving."

She led the way. Max walked behind her and then Brooke followed a few steps behind him. She wanted to keep her distance. The last time she had seen Liz was the birthday dinner months ago. Since then Brooke learned about Max's feelings and that Liz was aware of those feelings. Since then Max told her of the past he shared with Liz. Since then Max decided that he wanted to be with Brooke. Brooke wondered if Liz knew any of that and then she was afraid that Liz knew all of it. It was so unnerving being in Liz's presence now. She was so casual and nonchalant, it made Brooke feel about five years old. It was as if Liz held all this power and she was holding it over Brooke. The insecurity was unbearable.

"Liz!" Nathan smiled.

Liz waved to everyone as she walked around the table to the empty seat next to Isabel. She stopped by Nathan and Haley on the way over and kissed each of them on the cheek. Max fetched another chair and placed it between Alex and Nathan, letting Liz sit next to Isabel and Maria. Meanwhile, Brooke took her time walking to her chair.

"I'm so glad came!" Nathan said. "Did you two come in on the same flight?"

"Mm-hm," Liz hummed. "Max's was actually tomorrow, mine was today, and it just made sense for us to come in together. So Max changed his flight."

"You actually got Max to do that?" Isabel inquired.

"There's only one other person more stubborn than Max," Maria laughed.

Lucas looked at the empty seat beside him and found Brooke standing behind her chair instead of sitting on it, staring intently at her place setting. "Hey," he said softly. He took her hand and stole away her attention. "Are you ok?"

Gradually, Brooke shook her head. "Nathan, Haley," she said, interrupting the conversation going on. "I'm sorry, but I'm not feeling too good. I think I'm gonna go home."

"What's wrong?" Haley asked, genuine worry in her tone.

"Um, I'm not sure." She held her forehead.

Isabel started reaching for her purse. "I think I've got some Advil. Maybe that will help?"

"I haven't seen you eat all day," Maria chimed in. "You should get something in your stomach."

"You did have a glass of wine at the bar," Michael added.

The irony of Michael noticing the alcohol use went unnoticed.

Lucas, still holding Brooke's hand, got to his feet. "Come on. I'll take you home."

"No," she refused. "You should stay. Have dinner with your family."

"Brooke, you should let Lucas take you home," Alex insisted.

Everyone's concern was extremely thoughtful but Brooke really just wanted to leave already. She glanced at Max who was keeping to himself and then she looked to Liz. Brooke physically couldn't take it. She desperately needed to lie down.

"Lucas doesn't need to leave," she said. She took her hand out of his. "Don't let me ruin anyone's night. I'll be fine to make it home on my own. I'm just a few blocks away."

Everyone conceded and after she said goodbye to everyone and apologized once again to Nathan and Haley, Brooke hurried away. A bit of an awkward streak followed where people began to speculate what plagued Brooke. Alex was sure that it was the glass of wine on an empty stomach that did her in. Haley worried that maybe she was coming down with the flu and hoped that it wasn't of the swine variety. Isabel guessed that Brooke was probably exhausted from all the wedding planning. Whatever the theory, Max remained silent and unbelievably uncomfortable. He looked up from his menu every once and a while, only to appear as if he was engaged in the conversation, and every time he looked up, he looked at a different face. For the most part, each person he looked at wasn't looking at him but at the person they spoke to. However, when he looked at Liz, when he looked at Lucas, and yes, when he looked at Dan, they were all so observantly watching him. Max saw kindness and understanding in Liz's eyes and worry and insecurity in Lucas's, but Max looked at Dan all to briefly to see anything in his eyes.

The server came and interrupted the group's discussion about Brooke and when their orders were taken everyone moved onto new talking points. For a while the conversation involved everyone at the table, including Dan and Max, but eventually separate conversations popped up around the table. The food came and the exchanges continued effortlessly. There were brief moments when some people were quiet or not being spoken to but the conversations were so plentiful that it was easy to jump into another one with ease. It had to have been the best family dinner the Scotts had ever had. Even Max would admit that he enjoyed it, but of course there were things he noticed and ignored.

Max didn't glance in Lucas or Dan's direction more than twice. Maybe his eyes would pass over them as he looked at the people sitting next to them but that was the extent of the interaction. He didn't know if Lucas or Dan looked at him. He didn't know if either of them tried to talk to him. For most of the night Max was on his guard as far as avoiding Dan and Lucas, but somehow, at the end of the dinner, with everyone on their feet ready to head out, Max lost track of Lucas until his blond brother was right at his side.

"Hey, Max," he said casually, yet urgently. "Do you think I can talk to you for a second?"

Already the group was slowly moving toward the lobby of the hotel and eventually out to the parking lot. Max would give Lucas the time it took to get outside. So he nodded at his brother and started walking alongside him. The two of them were at the back of the group, just a couple of feet behind Maria and Liz.

"So, I don't know if Nathan told you…" Lucas said.

Max noticed that when Lucas started speaking he slowed his walking pace creating a larger distance between them and Maria and Liz.

"…and I feel really awful about it, but—"

"Nathan did tell me," Max said.

"Oh. Ok. Well, good. And it's ok with you?"

Max shrugged. "I guess. It shouldn't be too difficult."

"Thanks," Lucas nodded. "Sorry about dumping it on you." Though he seemed genuinely apologetic, he had kept his eyes focused on everyone ahead of them.

Lucas watched their family get closer and closer to the lobby while they were just then walking halfway through the dining floor. Max realized that this conversation was pretense for the conversation Lucas actually wanted to have, the one that Max had avoided all night. Soon, at the front of the pack, Dan and Alex reached the main entrance. For a brief moment, Max wondered what the two of them were discussing since they've never really had anything to talk about before and Alex usually did his best to steer clear of his father-in-law. The moment passed when Max realized he didn't care what Dan was doing or why he was doing it.

By the time they reached the lobby while the others neared the main entrance to the hotel, Lucas didn't say much else. He watched everyone in front of them, waiting for them to reach the fresh air before they did. When Maria and Liz walked through the front doors, the last of their family besides them, Lucas stopped and turned to his brother.

"I want to talk to you about something else," he finally admitted.

What Max wanted was to go home, fall into his bed and sleep. The flight and the stress to get into town on time was exhausting. Tack on a few hours at dinner and Max was barely still standing, but what Max wanted even more than his comfortable bed, plush pillows and soft sheets was to not talk about what Lucas wanted to talk about.

"I don't want to get into it right now," Max told his brother.

"Don't you think we should discuss it? We shouldn't leave this in the air with the wedding tomorrow."

"No, it's because of the wedding that we _should_ hold off," Max corrected him. "Lucas, I don't think there's a positive end to that conversation, and whenever we do have it, afterward, I'm going to hate you a little, maybe a lot, and I'm going to need to get away from you. That'll make tomorrow and the wedding a little uncomfortable, don't you think? Everyone will sense the tension. So, you see, we should hold off on having that discussion because right now I can tolerate you."

Max might as well have punched Lucas right in the stomach. That's how Lucas looked at the moment, but in an instant, he regained his composure as if nothing happened. Liz approached the brothers, playfully bumping into the blond one.

"Hey, what's going on?" she wondered.

"We're just talking about tomorrow," Max explained. "Lucas is doing a reading during the ceremony, so he asked if I would make the toast at the reception."

"And are you?"

"I think I can figure something out," Max nodded.

Lucas remained silent, reflecting on what his older brother said to him moments ago. Liz looked up at him but thought nothing of his despondence.

"Ok, well, you ready to go?"

Max bobbed his head and held out his hand for Liz. "Yeah, I'm exhausted."

As they started to walk away, Max glanced back at his brother, still standing where they all stood. He did feel bad for being crass and dreadfully blunt with Lucas but everything he said was the honest truth and Lucas needed the truth. He needed to be hit with the severity of the situation, several times.

Max and Liz walked ten feet before Max turned around and looked at his brother. "You should probably check up on Brooke. Make sure she's ok," he told him.


	30. Best Men

My apologizes for the hiatus and my many, many thanks for your patience. Here's a hefty chapter to return to. =)

**30. Best Men**

Max sat on a boulder that rested where the river met land. He sat with his knees pulled up to his chest while Roman played with the water. Small waves would rise up on the sand and Roman jumped back as if they were taunting and teasing him. He barked at them and chased the water when it pulled back into the river.

Behind them about fifty yards back was the River Court. Three cars and a motorcycle pulled up into invisible parking spaces on the grass. Max took his eyes off of the water and watched his brothers and brother-in-law climb out of each of their vehicles and step onto the basketball court.

Most of them were dressed to play. Nathan wore his black high-top basketball shoes with Duke Blue Devil blue trim. His black socks came up to mid-shin level. He had on a pair of Duke practice shorts and a black T-shirt with the sleeves cut off. It was always the same with Nathan, ever since they were kids. Michael showed up in the reverse; black shorts and a blue Duke University athletics T-shirt that Nathan had given to him at some point in the last few years. When Max saw that Alex wore shorts that stopped a few inches above his knees and a tank top that Max was sure was a size small but still loose on Alex, Max couldn't help but laugh. He never knew how skinny and pasty his brother-in-law was, and then Max realized that he had never seen Alex make any attempt at playing a sport. Max laughed to himself a little harder. There were two scenarios that played out in Max's head. Since Alex was tall, but lanky, he would either be: a) surprisingly good and agile or b) terribly clumsy and awkward. Max had a feeling it would be the latter and wondered if anyone had a first-aid kit.

The four of them would play a few two-on-two games to eleven, switching teammates every match. Lucas, wearing flip-flops, jeans, and a casual button-up shirt, was going to stick to the sidelines and play ref, per the orders of Isabel, Brooke, and everyone else in the family. While Alex, Michael, and Nathan warmed up, Lucas took a seat on the tabletop of the picnic table right where the grass met the concrete of the basketball court. He had with him a paper bag from Karen's Café, probably full his mom's county-famous bagels; a plastic bag of waters; and a carrier with coffee cups. If this brotherly pick-up game occurred a few months ago, Lucas would be on the court with them playing, but unfortunately now he was reduced to being the water boy and sideline referee.

Max took a deep breath and started walking up the embankment with Roman running freely beside him, behind him, and around him. His march up the knoll was slow. How many times would Lucas try to talk to him? They would be with each other for practically the whole day, so the count would be high. Maybe it would be best to take the first step, set the tone, make it clear that any interaction they would have would be cordial.

"Morning!" Nathan waved, the first one to see Max and Roman.

He jogged over with the basketball under his arm and welcomed the dog with loving pats. Roman's tail whipped the air with fervor. He galloped to center court, teasing Nathan to come after him. So Nathan jogged after Roman casually bouncing the ball. With each bounce, Roman barked. The boys on the court laughed. Nathan passed the ball to Michael, so then Roman darted over to Michael. When Roman playfully jumped on Michael, Michael tossed the ball over to Alex hoping to free his hands to show the dog some affection, but just as quickly as Roman came over, he left, heading straight to Alex. The ball and the dog nearly reached Alex at the same time. He didn't know which to receive. So, erroneously, Alex caught the ball and then found himself tackled to the ground by the 50lb dog that came charging at him.

"Ooh!" Both Michael and Nathan sounded, bringing up closed fists to cover their mouths, and their snickers.

"Oh, shit," Max chuckled. "Sorry about that, Alex!"

From the ground, Alex waved his hand in the air.

"Roman!" Max shouted. "C'mere!"

Instead of obeying orders, Roman lapped up every bit of moisture on Alex's face, who stayed lying on his back on the concrete, laughing but trying his best to keep his mouth closed should Roman try to get too friendly. Michael and Nathan no longer hid their grins as they laughed openly.

"My God!" Michael laughed. "It was like a train took you out! But it was like if that train was a seven year old girl."

"Ok, this dog is nothing like a little girl!" Alex said from under Roman. He finally managed to ease the dog off of him and sat up. "He came at me so fast and I was distracted by the ball. I wasn't ready."

Their laughter finally dying down, Michael and Nathan walked over to Alex and helped him to his feet, but only after they playfully congratulated Roman with pats and rubs to the head.

"Come on, man," Nathan encouragingly said to his brother-in-law. "Just don't fold when we start playing. It's you and me against Michael and Max first."

Alex nodded dutifully and picked up the ball to take a few warm-up shots. Max guessed wrong, Alex managed to sink just about every basket with good form.

Somehow knowing that the game was about to start soon, Roman ran over to Lucas at the picnic table and hopped up onto the bench. Lucas vigorously massaged Roman's muscular shoulders and then moved up to playing around with his malleable face and short muzzle. Max slowly approached his brother and dog. He placed the leash down on the table top.

"You mind watching him?" Max wondered.

Of course Max didn't really need to bother asking, Lucas had already assumed that he would be keeping an eye on his brother's dog. It was considerate of Max to say something though because Lucas wasn't sure if he was going to get his brother's cold shoulder all day. It was nice to know that there was some warmth there.

Lucas shook his head in response to his brother. "Do you mind if I walk him some time while you guys are playing?"

Max shook his head as well and started walking to join his other brothers on the court. Four words was all Lucas got from him. It would be enough for now. It was something, Lucas told himself.

"You and me," Michael said as Max approached. "I'll cover Alex and you take Nathan?"

Max laughed. "You want me to take on the young college basketball star?"

"Yeah," Michael smirked. "Have fun."

He playfully punched his older brother in the arm and winked. Max was so pleased with the short exchange that he didn't care that he ended up shooting just one for six around the arc and three for ten inside the arc and in the paint. Michael got them the rest of the ten points they had. They were the first to reach ten but reaching eleven first is what matters and unfortunately for them, Alex made his and Nathan's eleventh point before Max and Michael could.

"Hey," Michael said. He offered Max his hand. "Good job."

The two brothers headed over to the picnic table walking side by side. The sun and the summer humidity made the brothers sweat through their shirts and shorts. Max tried his best to wipe off his clammy hand with the driest part of his shirt before shaking his brother's hand. He was so taken aback by his brother's offer that even though he wiped his hand, sweat quickly returned to his palm.

"Thanks. You too," Max said, putting his hand into Michael's. He tried to control his breath but noticeably struggled. "Nathan's quick."

Michael gave a smile that was a cross between pursed lips and a smirk. "Nah, I think you're just getting old."

Lucas handed both of them a water bottle when they reached the picnic table. "Close game. Good job, you guys."

"Thanks," the older brothers breathed out.

Roman woke from his mid-morning nap and welcomed Max and Michael with a smile and an offer for them to rub his belly. Michael took a seat next to Lucas on the table top and shook his hand while he used his free hand to treat the dog to a massage. Meanwhile, Max fished through the paper bag from Karen's Café and tore a piece from a cinnamon sugar bagel. He didn't look up to see if Lucas wanted to congratulate him with a handshake as well, and instead of walking around the front of the table to take a seat next to Michael, Max went ahead and walked behind it, not wanting to cross in front of Lucas.

The three brothers sat on the picnic table watching their baby brother and brother-in-law duke it out. Winner of their game to seven would be the one to decide the teams for the next game.

"Are we really going to play two more games?" Max wondered.

"Could be more if Nathan wants and if that's what the groom wants, that's what he gets," Michael answered. "But maybe we can talk him out of it. We'll tell him he'll wear himself out 'cause I don't think I have the energy to play more than one more unless he wants me sleeping at the altar and the reception."

Max washed down the bagel with half of his water bottle. He could still feel his pulse rattle every thought in his head and his breaths were still deep yet quick. Halfway through the game he wanted to throw in the towel but Max told himself that he just needed to wake up and get warmed up, but at the end of the game, even though Max was wide awake and warm enough, he still struggled and began dreading another match up.

"What's the score?" Michael shouted at the guys still on the court.

"Alex is up 3-2," Nathan shouted back.

"Take your time," Max told them. He leaned back on the picnic table top, basked in the sun and let the breeze from the river come over him.

"So, hey," Michael said. "Lucas, you haven't told us much about L.A.. How was it?"

Max opened one eye and looked at Lucas. He watched him shift uncomfortably and when he glanced in Max's direction, Max quickly closed his eye. It was great that Michael was making conversation and engaging with everyone but did he have to bring up L.A.? Max tried his best to zone out his brothers but when Lucas started talking about meeting interesting new people, Max couldn't take it anymore.

"Hey, Lucas," he said, "did you and Roman go on that walk yet?"

"We're in the middle of a conversation," Michael objected.

Lucas shook his head. "No, it's cool. I told Max all of this last night so he's probably just tired of hearing it all," he lied, covering for his oldest brother. "I'll tell you about it later. Roman's looking a little bored, I should take him on a walk."

He gave a few hearty pats to Roman's hind leg and then led him toward the river. Michael watched the two walk away and then brought his attention to Max lying beside him.

"What was that about?"

Max opened his eyes. "What?"

"Why'd you get rid of Lucas?"

"I didn't get rid of him."

"You told him to take your dog for a walk. Didn't you and Roman walk here?" Michael chuckled.

Max closed his eyes again and pointed his face back at the sun. "Lucas offered to take him and he was right, Roman was bored."

Michael stared at his brother with narrowed eyes. "You're being a douche. More of a douche than usual."

Max opened his eyes again and propped himself up with his elbows. Again, Max appreciated his brother's effort in conversing but that was rather blunt. "Is that what you think of me all the time?" he wondered. "You think I'm a douche?"

Michael went back to watching Nathan and Alex attack the backboard. "What's the score?"

"4-4!"

"Oh, come on!" Michael threw up his hands. "Hurry up and beat him, Nathan!"

"He's quicker than he looks!" he replied back.

"Thanks, guys," Alex waved.

Max pulled himself up and continued looking at his brother sitting beside him. " I'm a little pissed at Lucas," he admitted. As to why? Max would lie about that. "He dumped the best man toast on me," he said.

"Oh," Michael laughed. "Yeah, ok. I can see where you're coming from."

Satisfied with Max's answer, Michael didn't dive any further into the Lucas matter. He watched Alex and Nathan battle it out. But Max, on the other hand, was stuck on Michael's admission. He couldn't get off of it. He could always see that he was an annoyance to Michael but to hear him vocalize it was a whole other feeling that Max didn't expect. It was as if Michael stating his distaste of Max confirmed it with an official seal.

"You really don't like me, do you?"

Michael glanced beside him but then placed his attention back on the court. "There aren't many times when I do like you," he admitted. "I'm mostly indifferent, but you'll do something and then, yeah, I actually dislike you."

That wasn't very pleasant to hear but, surprisingly, Max was very accepting of what Michael had to say. He was taking it like constructive criticism. "Do you mind if I ask why?" he said.

"Do you really want to know?"

After some consideration, Max subtly nodded.

"At first," Michael started, "I honestly hated you. Dan takes you in and suddenly I'm not the older brother anymore. Lucas and Nathan aren't looking up to me, they're wide-eyed admiring you."

And it hit Max. When Max moved into Dan's home, he knew that he was becoming the oldest sibling and the oldest brother, but he never thought any of that held much merit especially because Isabel acted as if nothing had changed, she continued to be the bossy older sister that Michael, Lucas, and Nathan had always known. As far as the oldest brother role, it never mattered to Max, but it did to Michael and understandably so.

"You took being in that house for granted," Michael continued. "I know that you always snuck out at night. You always wanted to get away and when you couldn't, you were clearly unhappy about it, but Lucas and Nathan still 'oo' and 'ah-ed' at whatever you did and Dan still gave you attention as if you had been neglected. Meanwhile, there I was, _wanting_ to still be the older brother, _wanting _to still be the first born son, but no one cared about me anymore. It was all about you. It took a lot of effort to hate you. When I accepted that you were sticking around, I eventually stopped putting in any effort to hate you and became indifferent."

He reached into the paper bag and pulled out a random bagel. He tore off bite-sized pieces and popped them into his mouth and continued talking. "You make it hard for me to like you, Max," he said, casually, coolly, chomping on pieces of bagel. "You really haven't done anything to make me like you, and I know you're trying to do right by our family, but I don't know, I don't really care for it. Why?" he asked rhetorically. "Well, 'cause you abandon this family so often and easily, so your attempts to do good, it's like you're seeking redemption, and frankly, I don't think you deserve redemption. I don't know if you're sticking around. So what's the point in granting you salvation if you're just going to take off again?"

Michael chugged the rest of his water, about half of the bottle, while Max let everything settle in. He'd admit that he was hurt by what his brother had said but pain was the price Max had to pay, the price he was willing to pay if it meant Michael finally opening up to him. All this time Max had credited the way Michael was to his personality. He just thought that's how he was; misanthropic, pessimistic. Max knew dozens of people just like Michael. At some point or another Max considered that maybe Michael was bitter about him taking his spot in the family but believing that no one really cared about their place in their family, Max convinced himself otherwise. He made the mistake of assuming that Michael's stonecold attitude was his way of saying "I don't care" when it was really his way of protecting himself.

"I'm really sorry, Michael," Max said. His hurt had converted into guilt and regret and he was truly and genuinely sorry, but he was troubled by the fact that an apology was the best he could do and it would never be enough.

Still looking at the court, Michael shrugged. "Eh. It is what it is."

"So you're just gonna go on not liking me?"

"Can I give you a little advice?"

"Yeah, of course."

"No one really needs that 'big' brother anymore," Michael said, finally having turned to look at Max. "So, you should really stop trying to fix things. We're all adults and we are and we do as we please. You just gotta accept how things are. Maybe I'll start liking you more than I dislike you but you just gotta be you and I'll like you or not. You shouldn't go out of your way to do something in an effort to try to change the way I feel, you know? That's something that's gonna happen over time and it's something that'll evolve."

Max bobbed his head in absolute understanding. "Do you realize this is the most you've _ever_ said to me? Even more than when you gave me that earful about—What was it?"

Michael started laughing. "Are you talking about the…"

The brothers had the same event in mind. Max had started nodding before Michael could even finish.

"I really appreciate you telling me all this," Max said. "So don't get me wrong, but why are you?"

Michael had his answer in mind but decidedly took his time. He pinched off a couple of pieces from his diminishing bagel and offered a piece to his brother. When Max politely declined, he tossed both the single piece and what was left of the bagel into his mouth and answered only after he swallowed. "Even though I've got all my problems and I'm dealing with stuff, you're the one who seems like he can't catch a break, and you look like you could use one."

Mad didn't know what to say. He was stunned by his brother's intuitiveness and surprised that he outwardly appeared to be as hopeless as he truly felt. It was bittersweet. Max began to wonder if anyone could pick up on his misery.

"Finally!"

Michael jumped to his feet and jogged back to the court. He snatched the ball from his little brother's hands and started warming up for the next game while Alex and Nathan joined Max at the picnic table. They each guzzled down a whole bottle of water and devoured a bagel during their five minute break. Both of them eagerly returned to the basketball court with more energy than when they first started playing, dragging Max back with them.

Halfway through the game, Lucas and Roman returned back from their walk. Instead of sitting back at the picnic table, they sprawled themselves across the grass, with Lucas boyishly lying on his stomach like the dog did.

With the summertime air that was a mixture of cool breezes from the river and vapors of uncomfortable heat hovering above the ground, the sweltering rays beaming down from the sun, and the boys playing basketball on the River Court, it was like it was a typical Scott boys' summer, but as adults it just wasn't the same. They were enjoying their time making baskets and going up against each other man on man but their heads were never a hundred percent completely in the game. In the back of their minds they thought about things like a wedding, children, an icy cold highball, a neighbor, a fiancée, an ex-girlfriend, an ex-wife. Things they never thought about as young boys during the summer.

Maybe if Max had allowed himself to be one of those boys again, without a worry on his mind, for the duration of their game, all of ten minutes, then maybe he would have given his little brother another win on his wedding day, but still thinking about his conversation with Michael, Max was sloppy defending Alex and terrible at contributing any points to his two-man team. Nathan kept them within contention but Alex and Michael pulled away and knocked down a win.

"Alright," Michael breathed out. "Let's call it a day."

"One more," Nathan insisted.

Alex looked at his watch and shook his head. "We don't have the time," he said. "We need to get cleaned up, have lunch and then get ready for your wedding, pal. Isabel wants us to get to the hotel early, so you better believe I'm getting you there early."

Swayed by the threat of a displeased Isabel, Nathan handed the basketball over to his brother-in-law. The brothers cooled down before packing up and heading to their respective homes to shower. Everyone but Max collapsed on the grass next to Lucas and Roman. Max went straight to the picnic table and rummaged through the bag from Karen's Café for the cinnamon sugar bagel he tore a piece from earlier, but he should have just joined his brothers and dog, because then he wouldn't have been alone, giving Lucas the opportunity to approach him.

"Hey," Lucas said, but he found himself watching Max continue his search. "You kinda dragged ass in that last game."

Max finally stopped and looked up. The smirk on Lucas's face, the smirk he wore because he thought he was being clever, quickly disappeared when he saw that Max was clearly not amused.

"Sorry," Lucas coughed. "Um, do you think we can talk?"

"About how much I sucked?"

"I didn't mean it. I was trying to joke around. Look, forget I said anything." Lucas nervously cleared his throat. "Do you think we can talk about L.A. please?" he asked kindly.

When you have brothers and sisters and you're all pretty much grown up, you begin to treat them like any other adult. Once in a while, they, or you, revert back to being the _little _brother or the _big _brother rather than just being two adults conversing, because the position, that relationship is more prevalent, to emphasize the fact that you are family, to use it as a tool to benefit your cause. This was one such moment. Lucas was merely Max's little brother asking his big brother to hear him out.

"I…" Max shook his head, reluctant to partake in the impending conversation.

"I know," Lucas replied with empathy.

But did he know? Did he know that it was killing Max? Did he know that Max desperately wanted to be everything to Brooke that he was _and_ wasn't? Did he know that Brooke knew? Did he know that it was slowly numbing her? No. Of course not, because if Lucas had known maybe he wouldn't have been so selfish and maybe he would have spared his own heart, Brooke's heart, Peyton's heart. What guy proposes to his girlfriend of five years while having an emotional, long-distance relationship with his ex-girlfriend three thousand miles away?

Max remained silent.

"I want you to know everything," Lucas said.

To that, Max scoffed and shook his head. "I definitely don't want to know any more than I do," he chuckled, a byproduct of his nervousness.

"I don't want you to think that I went looking for another relationship."

"So you want to explain everything to me because you want to save face?"

"If that's the way you want to look at it, then ok, yeah. As shallow as that sounds, yes, but because your opinion of me matters. It's important to me."

"You shouldn't care what I think."

"You're my brother, Max."

He didn't respond but, in essence, gave permission for Lucas to go on. He placed his hands firmly on the picnic table and got comfortable leaning forward.

"I was happy with Brooke," Lucas said. "I really was and I loved her. I absolutely loved her, but a couple of years ago, I go to L.A. for a workshop and I meet up with Peyton."

Knots formed in Max's stomach, quickly shifting all the water and bits of bagel he had earlier. "Peyton, huh?" Of course he knew it was Peyton but since he wasn't supposed to know that he played dumb to keep up appearances. The reason for Max's uneasiness was the realization that the relationship started years ago, longer than Brooke realized.

"Yeah," Lucas nodded. "We had kept in touch through college and up to that point really, but just a few emails around birthdays, and whenever Brooke was on the phone with her, I'd tell Brooke to tell her I said hi. It was all friendly. So I figured since I was in town I would meet up with her and have dinner, catch up, reminisce… As soon as I saw her, all these feelings rushed back," Lucas said. "It just all came over me. I don't know if you've ever felt that way…"

Max could feel everything settle in his burning chest. It was like acid reflux, heartburn and indigestion all at once. On one hand, he was absolutely furious that Lucas had been cheating on Brooke much longer than they initially thought, but on the other hand, Max could absolutely empathize with Lucas. So his feelings teetered, like his food.

"I always thought that Peyton was just my high school girlfriend," Lucas went on, "and I did love her then, but it was high school, you know? Puppy love. First love love. But then I see her again and the feelings are so strong…" He swallowed the lump in his throat. "I slept with her that night."

Max dropped his head in what looked like disappointment to Lucas, but Max lowered his head to conceal his gaping mouth. His jaw dropped open like the wind was knocked right out of him. Just as everything was reaching his throat, all at once, all of Max's insides, everything in him, slammed to the floor. His eyes became glazed over with tears but not enough to well up on his lower eyelids, not yet anyway. He was so furious and devastated and disgusted and upset. A mixture of things. A mixture of many, many things.

He brought his hands up to his face and pressed his palms hard over his lips and then cheeks and then his eyes where they rested for a moment before rising up to his forehead. Then he ran his hands through his hair, entwined his fingers at the top of his head, but more toward the back of his skull, and he stood upright, taking in deep, deep, quiet breaths.

"What are you thinking?"

"Believe me, Lucas, you don't want to know," Max warned.

"You gotta tell me something. Tell me you hate me. Tell me you're disappointed in me. Tell me something."

With his hands still on his head, Max turned to his brother only slightly, just enough to see Lucas out of the corner of his eyes. He didn't have the stomach to look at him fully. "Fine," Max said. "I hate you and I'm disappointed in you."

"Are you just saying that because that's what I suggested you say?"

Max dropped his arms hopelessly. "What the fuck do you want, Lucas? You cheated on Brooke. Do you want me to forgive you because you need someone to? Will it make you feel better? Give you relief? I can't and even if I could, I don't want to be the person to give you that satisfaction."

"Max—"

"Hey, you guys," Max projected. "We should probably get going."

The boys collapsed on the grass slowly climbed to their feet. Max clapped his hands, calling Roman over. The dog, still full of energy hopped up and pranced over.

"Nathan," Max said, "I've got everything I need on me, do you think I can just get ready at your place?"

"Sure. Come on. We'll see the rest of you there? What do you guys want for lunch?"

"Max, please let me finish," Lucas whispered to his brother. He began fidgeting with the spare plastic utensils and packets of cream cheese, tossing them into the bag of bagels like he was knife-throwing.

Bent over to leash Roman, Max, too, spoke only a little louder than a whisper. "Unless you're going to tell me that you've been joking all this time, I don't want you to talk to me for a little while."

"Max, I am begging you. I need your help."

Michael had already sped off on his bike just as Alex was pulling out, and on his way to his SUV, Nathan took a jump shot at the top of the key, sinking the ball without it touching the rim. Swish. He retrieved the ball and turned back to his two brothers still at the picnic table.

"You guys coming or what?"

Max looked at Lucas, who silently pleaded with him to stay.

"Actually I do have to stop by my place," Max shouted back to Nathan. "Lucas is gonna take me. It's on his way."

Nathan waved to his brothers goodbye for now and got into his SUV to drive off and while they waited for him to be out of sight, Lucas and Max cleaned up the picnic table together. Max closed up the paper bag from Karen's Café and placed it inside the plastic bag of water bottles that Lucas held open for him. Both of them watched Nathan's car out of the corners of their eyes until they knew that their little brother couldn't look back and see them. As soon as they were in the clear, Lucas attempted damage control.

"Sleeping with Peyton was a mistake," he admitted, "but you have to understand that we were both carrying this secret and we only had each other to talk to."

"No," Max replied firmly. "You should have dealt with it on your own. You should have ended it then and there."

"That was the plan. I came back home and I tried to forget about Peyton but she had stopped talking to Brooke and Brooke couldn't understand why. So I called Peyton, to tell her, but we realized we needed each other."

"You're saying all the wrong things, Lucas." Max turned and leaned against edge of the picnic table. "So you let this carry on for a couple of years. How many times did you go out to see her or vice versa?"

"Zero."

"You kept it long distance? I don't believe you."

"We didn't want to hurt Brooke."

How considerate, Max thought. In his mind he was rolling his eyes and then hoping that he didn't actually do so. "If you weren't even physically seeing Peyton, why did you…" And Max realized if he simply substituted Peyton's name with Brooke's, he'd be talking about his own situation. "Why didn't you just break up with Brooke?" Max decided to ask.

"Because Brooke was who I had," Lucas said. "I didn't want to lose her."

In a really sadistic and ironic, unfortunate and weird way, Lucas and Brooke were made for each other.

"Why didn't you just break up with Peyton?" Max tried next.

"I didn't want to lose her either."

Hopelessly attempting to prevent his on-coming headache, Max rubbed the space between his eyebrows, hard. "My God, Lucas. You are a bigger idiot than I am. You're content in the two relationships you have but you decide to make one official by proposing. Why?"

Lucas shook his head regretfully. "I saw what was happening to Brooke, what I was doing to her. She was growing more and more unhappy. So I reevaluated everything. I would never have Peyton. Her life was on the west coast—"

"So Brooke is consolation?"

"No," Lucas said, quick to answer. "If I wanted to be with Peyton, then I'd have no problem with going there to be with her, but she's not the one I saw myself with in the future. Brooke is."

Max lowered his head and stared at Roman patiently sitting beside his feet. The dog looked up at him. He had been panting up to that point but then he closed his mouth giving what looked like a sympathetic smirk. Max smiled back at him appreciatively, glad that his dog was there with him.

"I wanted to be with Brooke," Lucas went on. "So I proposed."

"Did Peyton know?"

"Brooke told her a few days after we told all of you."

Max couldn't even imagine what would possess Brooke to do that. He couldn't even understand why she was still friends with Peyton. Max shook those inquiring thoughts out of his head and focused on his brother. "Your phone records showed that you never stopped keeping in touch with Peyton, so you were still in a relationship with her even when you proposed to Brooke? Why didn't Peyton end things herself when she found out?"

"It never actually was that simple. We kept telling each other that we needed to talk things out and for me, I wanted to just end it, and I tried so many times but doing it over the phone never felt right or real or enough. So when you offered to send me to L.A., it was actually perfect. I was going to break up with her in person." Lucas took a deep breath. He had a lot more to tell and he needed a second wind. "I wanted to take care of it right away, so that first night I go to her place."

With his eyes closed, Max tilted his head back and pointed his face at the sky. He knew where this was going and he was just trying his best to prepare himself.

"We talked for hours," Lucas said. "We tried to be calm about it but we fought and we yelled. Neither of us had realized how deep we were in. The feelings were still there. Even though we never saw each other face to face in the years that we talked over the phone and wrote each other, the feelings were overwhelming and clear."

"You slept with her again," Max said. He shook his head from side to side. He bit the inside of his bottom lip. He crossed his arms in front of his chest. He kept himself restrained as he tried to figure out what he was going to do next. He knew what he wanted to do but if the best man showed up to the wedding with a broken nose, how would they explain how it happened?

"It was a mistake," Lucas said again.

Max rolled his eyes and scoffed arrogantly.

"It was a heat of the moment thing, but I realized what we were doing and I stopped before I could finish."

"How good of you." Max wound up a bit of the slack of Roman's leash around his wrist and started walking with the dog right beside him.

"That's all you're going to say?"

Max whipped around almost pulling Roman with his arm. "I have no idea what you want me to do with what you've told me." The words flew out of his mouth so quick and fluid that it sounded like a bunch of words stuck together. He calmed himself with a breath. "If you want me to keep it a secret, fine. I don't know why I would go around telling someone else anyway."

"You're not going to tell Brooke?"

It honestly was a consideration in Max's mind, but ultimately he was against the idea. "No," he said. "Because this would absolutely kill her." He grimaced, remembering what today was, remembering everything they'd do, all the people they'd encounter. "I warned you, Lucas. I told you that nothing good was going to come out of this conversation. Even though you did choose Brooke, bottom line is: You cheated on her with her best friend. There's no forgiving that." He shook his head and threw his hands in the air. "You guys have your secrets. You keep them and you live your lives together. I don't care anymore."

Lucas watched his brother turn to walk away. "Wait! Where are you going?"

"Nathan's."

"Let me drive you."

Despite the width of the court now between them, Max stayed on his side. "I told you that after we have this conversation I was going to hate you. Welcome to after the conversation. Oh, and I'm sure this goes without saying, but I don't think I can be your best man."

Max left his brother on the River Court and started on his long walk to Nathan's.


	31. Made of Honor

Thank you for the feedback, **RhondaAnn1**, **Polia**, **princessjames21**, and **barbarella-1980**! And thank you all for the sticking around to read! Here is another chapter for your awesomeness.

**31. Made of Honor**

On this Fourth of July weekend, tourists staying at the Bel were—if they weren't out and about in Tree Hill—indulging in a nice lunch in its restaurant or splashing around in its swimming pools or playing a round of golf on its greens or enjoying every other feature at the Bel, except for the gardens and the hilltop near the river.

In the gardens, a little more than four dozen white chairs were gathered in front of the gazebo that was adorned with flowers from the surroundings. About a hundred yards away on the hilltop overlooking the river was a large canopy tent and inside the tent were workers placing the finishing touches on all the tables that were covered with white and violet linens. Back at the hotel, in one of the luxury suites, Brooke and Isabel were putting the finishing touches on the bride.

Isabel stepped back to study her work and then blew at the bristles of the make-up brush. "Beautiful," she said. "Absolutely beautiful."

Wearing just a simple silk slip, Haley spun around and looked at herself in the mirror. "Amazing," she smiled following it with a sigh of relief. "Isabel, you did an awesome job. Thank you."

"Oh, you're welcome. I'm just sorry your sisters didn't want to help."

"Oh, they did and they were here earlier," Haley laughed, "but I had to kick them out. They were driving me nuts. I was going to strangle them."

On the other side of the room, already dressed in her red strapless bridesmaid's dress, identical to the one Isabel wore, Brooke leaned over to pick up Haley's stunning wedding gown. She delicately draped it over her arm and carefully walked it over to the bride. As she made her way across the room, Brooke began to picture her own big day. The night before Max had left town, the night he gave her the somewhat-ultimatum, she realized she knew what she wanted. The flowers would be calla lilies of different hues. Mostly white, yellow, and orange, which would also be the colors for the wedding. The groomsmen and the groom would don three piece suits while the women in the bridal party would wear personalized dresses designed by Brooke herself. She had even began sketching her own dress.

"Alright," Brooke said. She opened Haley's wedding gown and held it out for her to step in. "Time to suit up."

The two bridesmaids helped bring the dress up Haley and fastened her in while the bride took this time to enjoy the rest of her chicken Caesar salad. When Isabel described her experience at her own wedding reception, Haley gathered that she wouldn't be eating much.

"Where's Maria?" Brooke searched the room for a clock. "She should've been back, like, an hour ago."

In the chaos of the wedding madness, Isabel had rushed out of her home without her wedding veil, Haley's something borrowed. She had already started doing the bride's make-up when she realized that the veil was still sitting on her bed. Brooke was running back and forth between the reception area to where they were having the ceremony in the garden, making sure everything was going as planned. Hence, Maria volunteered to race across town to Isabel's. The half-hour trip was nearing its second hour.

Haley grabbed Isabel's hand and looked at the watch around her wrist. "It's ok. We've still got some time. Do you think it'll be ok for me to sit in this?" She looked at the material that surrounded her.

Isabel laughed. "How are you not freaking out right now?"

"I don't know. I'm just not," Haley said with a shrug.

"You're not the least bit stressed out? About anything?"

"Not really. Should I be?"

Before answering, Isabel paused to think about it. She stared at the corner of the ceiling and shrugged to herself. "No, I guess not. You are already married." She looked over at Brooke and laughed. "Hey, maybe you and Lucas should do what Haley and Nathan did: get married before your wedding."

Brooke laughed, but as she did, the corner of her mouth nervously quivered. It embarrassed her to think about her own big day. She desperately wished that Isabel wouldn't say anymore. Thankfully, the doors to the suite burst open and Maria barged in waving a box in the air.

"I'm here! I'm here! The veil's here too!"

Maria rushed over to the beautiful bride in white and the two girls wearing dresses identical to hers. She flipped the lid to the box, withdrew the veil, and delicately placed it on top of Haley's head. With the veil in place, the three girls in their bright red dresses took a step back to admire the bride. Smiles immediately stretched across their faces.

"Gorgeous," the girls whispered in awe.

Haley lowered her head to hide her blushing cheeks. She looked back up not realizing that the red from her cheeks hadn't gone away. "So what happened to you?"

"My stupid car wouldn't start!"

"Are you honestly surprised by that?" Isabel laughed. "You drive a 15-year-old Jetta."

Maria's tongue darted out.

"Why didn't you call one of us?" Brooke wondered.

"I didn't want to pull any of you away from here. It's ok though. I'm here, a little late, but I'm here."

"So how did you get here?"

"Liz," Maria said simply. "She's parking the car. She should be up soon."

At the mention of Liz's name, Brooke brought her eyes to the ground for a moment and then looked around for something to busy herself with. In a few minutes, maybe even seconds, Liz was going to walk into the room and Brooke needed to appear confident and unbothered. Unbothered by what? By Liz's presence? Max's aloofness? The somewhat ultimatum he gave her before leaving town to New York apparently? Her cheating fiancé? The future she was setting up for herself? All of that and everything else running through her head.

"How much time do we have?" Maria asked aloud. "Do you think you can touch up my make-up, Iz?"

Isabel nodded as she guided Maria over to the vanity where Haley had been sitting earlier. She picked up a brush and a compact and went to work. Haley took a seat on the bed and grabbed a short stack of index cards from the night stand and started flipping through them. She closed her eyes and began mimicking a bobblehead doll as her lips moved, no audible words coming from her.

Brooke took a seat next to her best friend and playfully nudged her with her shoulder. "You're looking a little worried. Nerves managed to get to you?" she wondered with a smile.

"I forgot about the whole public speaking part of this thing." Haley took a deep breath and fanned herself with her notes. "Singing in front of people I'm ok with. Having to memorize something and then recite it, not so much."

"Ok, here's what you do: It's simple. Just look into those pretty eyes of Nathan's and your fears will go away and you won't have any trouble saying what you really feel."

Haley pressed her lips into a smile and, like Brooke had done earlier, bumped her shoulder against Brooke's in appreciation.

"Do you need anything?" Brooke asked. "A glass of water? A snack?"

Haley shook her head and explained that it would be a nightmare if she had to go to the ladies' room. So Brooke headed into the next room alone to check out the food spread over on the dining table in the common room even though she had already spent quite a bit of time there upon first arriving to the bridal suite. But just as she eyed the small cluster of pineapple on the fruit plate, Liz popped into her field of view and with the way the suite was set up, Brooke was the first person Liz saw.

"Hi," Liz smiled.

Brooke looked like a deer in the way of an oncoming semi. "Uh, hey!" She might as well have been guilty of having her hand in the proverbial cookie jar. Brooke smiled by showing all 32 of her teeth. "The girls are in there." She pointed to the bedroom behind her.

Liz expressed her thanks and joined the bride and the rest of the bridal party. Brooke popped a small pineapple square into her mouth as she watched Liz leave the room. She studied the dress Liz wore; deep fuschia, breezy and gorgeous on her. It was perfectly appropriate for the weather and the wedding, and the way her hair was styled, in an impeccable chignon, clean and neat without a single hair out of place, she was so wonderfully put together, the kind of woman Brooke envied.

Brooke tossed another pineapple square into her mouth. She could hear Liz say how beautiful all of them looked, and distracted by what she couldn't help but hear, Brooke looked at all of the food in front of her but stopped snacking to focus on everything Liz was saying, taking special notice of the sincerity and kindness in Liz's voice. With the exception of the visits this year, Brooke had only seen Liz once, when she first met her five years ago at Isabel's wedding. Maybe at the reception they had a conversation that lasted more than a minute or two but everything that Brooke knew about Liz was learned from what Maria had told her and the interactions Max's siblings had with Liz via the phone or emails, small little things, and what Brooke had gathered from those pieces of evidence alone was that Liz was the kind of person that she would be good friends with. Seeing Liz's encounters firsthand with everyone, included Brooke, only confirmed how genuinely amazing Liz was. Obviously, it didn't make things any easier.

"Have you eaten lunch?" Isabel asked. "There's basically a buffet over there."

Brooke didn't have to turn around to see that Isabel was pointing in her direction, so she quickly went back to snacking on nature's candy. She could sense Liz approaching but she focused on the food like she was on Coney Island on July 4th preparing for the hot dog eating contest.

"Hey," Liz said cheerily. "Is there any pineapple?"

Looking down at the fruit platter and the now empty spot that the pineapple had occupied, Brooke rolled her eyes at herself. Good job, she thought to herself. She finished chewing her mouthful and swallowed hard.

"Sorry," she apologized.

"It's ok," Liz giggled.

For about 30 painstakingly long seconds the two of them picked at the food on the table, in silence. Brooke focused intently on preparing her bowl of yogurt, carefully pouring a single-serving-sized box of corn flakes to insure that they fell on all the right places. Although, the whole time she wanted to glance out the corner of her eyes to see what Liz was doing, to see what Liz was looking at, but Brooke just didn't have the courage.

"Are you feeling better?" Liz finally said.

Brooke looked up to see that Liz had taken a seat at the table with her plate and was looking down at her salad. She didn't see the confusion on Brooke's face.

"'Feeling better'?" Brooke asked.

Liz looked up, gave a smile, and nodded, genuine interest in her eyes. "Yeah, last night you didn't stay for dinner."

"Oh! Right." Brooke slowly bobbed her head and studied the fruit, trying to decide which would complement the yogurt. "Um, yeah. I'm fine. Yesterday was just a long day. It was nothing."

"Good to hear," Liz nodded. She let her attention drift back down to her plate.

It was awfully kind and thoughtful of her to ask even if all it was was small talk.

There were some things Brooke wanted to ask Liz. She thought about them all as she watched Liz enjoy her salad. Some questions Brooke had were just to fill the silence, their substance nothing but fluff. The other questions couldn't be asked at the moment, considering present company, but Brooke bit the inside of her bottom lip pondering if she had the courage to have a whispering conversation with Liz. Brooke didn't know if she would get another opportunity to speak exclusively to her.

"So, how do you like Roman?" Brooke decided to ask.

Liz looked up and smiled. "He is one special dog."

Brooke couldn't disagree, complimenting on how charming the dog was.

"Charming is a great way to put it," Liz giggled. 'Enchanting too."

"That's a good one." Brooke would remember this moment as the first time she shared a laugh with Liz.

"You know, even though Max was coming here to be with all of you, I was worried he would get lonely. I never thought he'd get a dog though." Liz giggled, shaking her head. "Max just isn't the kind of guy to be a doting pet owner, you know? Maybe a fish, but one of those fish that could survive on its own."

Brooke nodded in agreement, an amused smile on her face.

"But he's amazing with Roman," Liz went on. "He takes really good care of that dog. He's attentive and affectionate and responsible." She shook her head in disbelief. It was clear how much she admired Max and his dog. "And he's so patient with him. Whenever Roman needed to be let out, he didn't just take him out for him to do whatever he needed to do, he took him on walks and nothing shorter than a few blocks. I don't ever remember Max taking a walk for the sake of taking a walk, not even to blow off steam. He just never cared to. I've never seen Max that patient and relaxed. I mean, of course, he was that way with me, but I'm his wife."

The words slipped out of her mouth, the blushing of her cheeks followed, and the smile she spoke with disappeared. Liz cleared her throat. "Anyway. Max is just…" She shook her head to find the right word. "He's just different. I don't have to worry about him anymore."

"What are you guys talking about?"

Maria joined the two ladies at the table as Isabel stepped into the room and closed the bedroom doors behind her.

"Is Haley ok?" Brooke asked.

"Yeah, she's fine. Or getting there at least. She just wants to be alone for a second."

"So what were you guys talking about?" Maria asked again.

"Max and—"

"Are you guys getting back together?"

"Maria!" Liz scolded. She shook her head and decided that she would rather give her attention to her salad.

"What? It's not like it's an outrageous question to ask. You guys spent a lot of time together while he was in New York. You said you enjoyed it."

Brooke, who had been watching Liz since the conversation first started, felt an urgency to walk away but her own curiosity kept her feet planted where they were. So she watched Liz lower her head and glance at her out of the corner of her eyes, causing Brooke to quickly divert her stare.

"Hey, is there any pineapple?"

Brooke jumped at Isabel's interruption.

"You ok?" Isabel laughed.

"Um, yeah," Brooke replied. She quickly gathered herself and continued to give the impression that she was a part of the conversation happening between Maria and Liz all while answering to Isabel. "Must have been a static shock."

"I didn't feel it."

"Well, then I don't know." Brooke didn't even turn to Isabel. She kept her body open toward Maria and Liz.

"Is there any pineapple?"

Brooke shook her head and tried to focus on what Liz was saying. Something about Max's visit being business related to which Maria rolled her eyes, brushing off the idea. "Subconsciously" was a word Maria used in her response.

"Really?" Isabel wondered. "There was, like, a whole pile earlier."

"Yes, really," Brooke said with a bit of bite. "I ate it all. Here, have a celery stick." She grabbed at the vegetable platter without looking down and slapped a few sticks of celery into Isabel's hand.

Isabel shrugged and started nibbling on the crispy green treat. "So, wait," she said to Maria, effortlessly jumping into the conversation. "What are you saying? Max 'subconsciously' wants to get back with Liz?"

Maria simply shrugged her shoulders and explained her theory, but Brooke had heard enough. She slowly drifted toward the balcony doors and began staring out the windows. Off in the distance she could see the tent on the hill where the reception was being held. Hotel workers were hanging lights along the edges of the three-walled tent while the last pieces of the dance floor were being put in place on the open side of the tent. Down the hill and a few yards away, the string quartet took their seats in the chairs off to the side of the altar. They brought their ears close to their instruments and plucked strings and made the correct adjustments to become perfectly tuned. They began playing when they saw the first few wedding guests approach the ceremony area.

"Isabel, what time is it?" Brooke asked over her shoulder.

Isabel glanced down at her watch and sprang into action without even replying to Brooke. The girls grabbed their bouquets and rushed over to the bedroom. They opted to ease the doors open even though they nearly broke them down with their excitement. Brooke handed Haley her bouquet and gave her one last look-over. She was as close to perfect as anyone could get.

The girls gathered their composure and left the room.

It was time for a wedding.


	32. Understanding Coming

**32. Understanding Coming**

Downstairs in the hotel's private VIP saloon, the groom and his groomsmen, all dapperly dressed in their tuxedos, were downing the last bit of courage in the form of scotch. Considering all things, it had been a nice morning and early afternoon for the brothers, and even though one brother avoided another, all of them still appreciated the day and what it meant. It had been so long since all of them were together that they couldn't overlook that simple fact—they were all together.

"Are you ready?" Michael asked. He gave Nathan a hearty pat on the back.

A smile stretched across Nathan's face. His blue eyes shined. The answer was loud and clear without having to be verbally said.

"Ok," Lucas grinned. "Let's get you married, again."

"Isabel said that you're going to go straight out to the gardens through here," Alex said pointing at the French doors leading outside. "Dan and Deb should be waiting at the beginning of the aisle for you. Got it?"

Nathan took a deep breath and nodded.

"Alright," Alex laughed. "The rest of us are due in the lobby."

The groomsmen gave their final words of encouragement and flashed reassuring smiles before leaving the groom alone in the room. But just as Max was about to step out into the corridor and head toward the lobby, he looked back at his brother standing still at the doors, simply staring out the windows. Max leaned into the hall and watched the rest of the groomsmen walk farther away. He quickly jogged into the small bar room and over to his brother.

"Hey, you ok?"

Nathan bobbed his head affirmatively but had gradually lowered it as he did.

"That's not really instilling any confidence in me right now. You've got about a minute, maybe two, before Isabel barges in here, throws you out there and drags me away. Start talking."

He lifted his head and went back to looking out at the gardens. "Did you just wake up one day and realize you didn't love Liz anymore?"

"What?" Max scoffed. "Are you having cold feet?"

"No," Nathan immediately replied. He almost sounded as if he was offended. "I love Haley. Without a doubt I want to marry her all over her again."

"So what's all this talk?"

Nathan took a deep breath. His exhale was shaky. "I'm scared out of my mind that what happened to you and Liz is going to happen to Haley and me." He added a "No offense" for good measure.

"None taken," Max replied. He peered out the window to see that most of the guests had arrived and were sitting in their seats. "Why are you bringing this all up now? Where was this this morning?"

"The idea that Dan and Deb are going to be walking me down the aisle?" Nathan laughed. "It's ridiculous, and it just got me thinking about how it went wrong with them. I can avoid that scenario. Yours and Liz's, where the love just went away? I've never been so scared of anything before in my life."

Max started bobbing his head immediately and almost emphatically because he could completely understand where Nathan was coming from. Max stopped nodding and took in a deep breath. "You and I both know that, yeah, one day you might realize that you don't love your wife the way you should, the way you want to but can't. But then again, that day might not ever happen for you. It could go either way, Nate, and if it does tragically happen to you, it'll hurt and it'll hurt a lot and for a while, but nothing will ever change or take away everything that preceded that day. Up to that point you would have hopefully loved the time you had with her and, of course, loved her. You will have that period of time. It's a part of you, a part of your history. I had ten years with Liz. Granted, not all of them were great, but in hindsight, I love the time I had with her and I'm fond of the time I was in love with her. I'm going to look back at that part of my life and I will be disappointed things didn't work out but I'm going to be grateful that I have those ten years."

Nathan just continued to stare out the window.

"Do you think about this a lot?"

"Maybe at least once a day," Nathan shrugged.

Max slowly bobbed his head as he tried to think of what to say next, what to offer his brother. "Look, I never knew that what happened between Liz and me could happen to us. I really did want us to grow old together," Max chuckled wretchedly as he used the cliché. "I didn't expect us to fall short, and you shouldn't expect something like that happening to you and Haley. Don't fear it happening. You'll end up wasting away the days you could have been making memories. So stop this worrying. If it happens, it happens, and you might not be able to do anything about it. So just appreciate every moment you do have. Every day that you get to love her, love her more than the day before. You got it?"

"Yeah," Nathan nodded. The nods got more confident gradually. "Yeah, I do."

"Good. Now, we should probably—"

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TWO STILL DOING IN HERE?"

Both Nathan's and Max's eyelids dropped as soon as they heard their sister's cry. "Shit," they grimaced in unison.

"What is going on?"

Even though Isabel was asking questions, Max and Nathan didn't answer. Had they spoken back they would have been cut off at the first syllable. So instead, the brothers remained silent.

"Nathan, get out there." Isabel pushed the French door open for him and gave him a polite, yet firm, shove. "You, I need to talk to," she said, grabbing Max's arm. She started dragging him out of the room. "What the hell were you thinking talking to Dan about my business?"

"What? What business?"

Just as they were about to enter the lobby where Max could see rest of the bridal party, Isabel stopped the both of them and pulled her brother back into the private corridor.

"Me adopting. You told Dan." Flustered, Isabel began to pace. "I just ran into him and I haven't spoken to him in a while, so the first thing he starts gabbing about is adoption. He's telling me how courageous I am, how honorable it is, that I'm making him proud… I haven't even told Alex yet!"

"You haven't told Alex?"

"No!"

With his head hung low, Max boyishly stuffed his hands into the pockets of his slacks.

"After the first three miscarriages, Alex begged me, absolutely begged me to consider adoption because he suffered just as much as I did. I've finally come around and I want to be able to give this to Alex as a gift. It might sound stupid—"

"It's not," Max insisted. "It's not stupid."

"Thanks," Isabel said softly. She had stopped pacing and leaned back against the wall. "I just hate that people are finding out before Alex."

"I'm so sorry, Iz." The guilt was crushing Max and he was so upset with himself that apologizing was the only thing he could do. "I just wanted to help you out and thought that Dan could help you out too."

A frown on her face, Isabel shrugged. "It's not totally your fault," she told her brother. "I should've told you that it was a secret. And you're right, you know, Dan can help us out. But still, I'm a little pissy about it." She gave Max a sly smirk.

"I know I might do more damage than good, but is there anything I can do to fix this?"

Isabel rolled her eyes and scoffed. She approached her older brother and started fidgeting with his bow tie. "Just make sure our father doesn't tell anyone or talk about it for now."

"Yeah," Max nodded. "I'll do that for you."

Isabel hugged her brother thankfully, right before she gave him a slap to the back of the head, his punishment for his open disclosure with their father. She combed down the hair at the back of his head and then walked him into the lobby.

Amidst all the guests of the hotel, Isabel and Max's family and friends were assembled together near the French doors leading out to the gardens. The men in their matching tuxedos ran their index fingers around their collars to gain some relief from the suffocating shirt, and huddled around the bride were her closest friends wearing their scarlet bridesmaid dresses. While for the most part everyone looked relatively uniform, there was one person who looked like she didn't belong. Standing near the others but facing an approaching Isabel and Max, Liz stood watching them, waiting for them to arrive.

She greeted Max with a kiss on the cheek and then took a step back to get a good look at him. She started at his feet and brought her eyes up his body. The whole time she smiled, until she came to his face. Liz stepped back toward Max and reached upward. With her hand, she wiped the sweat away from his forehead and temples.

"You ok?" she wondered. She rubbed her hands together to dry them.

Max looked up as if he could see his forehead and then swiped it with the back of his hand. Though Liz had just dried it, new beads of sweat had formed quickly.

"I think I'm just nervous," he explained. "Feel."

He grabbed her hands and placed them over his chest. He watched as Liz's eyebrows frowned.

"You're not kidding," she giggled. She fixed his pocket square and then took her hands back. "You're looking good," she said.

"You too," he smiled. In the absolute, most politest way and for genuine observation, he looked her up and down. "You look better than good."

Just a few feet away Brooke stood. She looked at Haley, who was reciting her vows aloud, but tried to listen in on Max and Liz's conversation. Brooke was only getting bits of information; Roman was somewhere in the hotel, Liz couldn't find the keys to Max's Porsche, so she had to drive the Jeep here, and she was taking the redeye back to New York tonight. The two conversations began to weave in and out of each other. Brooke wasn't entirely sure if Liz said a causal "I love you" to Max before leaving to take her seat outside or if it was part of Haley's vows.

"Apparently the minister needed to use the restroom," Isabel announced to the group. "So, we've got a few minutes to kill."

A few minutes could actually be a minute and for Brooke, a minute would have to do. She rushed over to Max before he could join his brothers.

"Hey, did I hear you say Roman's in the hotel?"

Stone-faced, Max nodded. "Yeah," he said before clearing his throat. It was obvious he put his wall up.

Brooke was going to try to break it down. "Where is he?"

Max gave an audible sigh and let his eyes search the lobby since he couldn't bear to look into Brooke's eyes. "Jules, the hotel manager; her kids are looking after him in one of the rooms. He's in good hands."

"Cool," Brooke nodded. She let silence seep in. A pause was the only way for her to segue into another train of thought. "Listen, I never finished what I was saying last night. You know, before Liz showed up?"

"Now really isn't the time to talk about this."

"You're right, now isn't a good time," Brooke nodded. "But can you promise me that we will sometime today?"

Max gave another sigh. He might have even rolled his eyes. "Fine," he said. He looked over Brooke's shoulder and pointed with his chin. "Your fiancé seems like he wants you, so I'm just gonna…"

He took a step back, looked her in the eyes for the first time since speaking with her, and then gave her a nod. Who does that? Brooke thought to herself. Leonardo DiCaprio in _Titanic_. Men from the early 20th century and before, back when men stood up when a woman walked into a room, when chivalry wasn't rare. It was a very cordial thing of Max to do. Cordial. He was being cordial with her. After the nod, Max walked by her and went to pay his compliments to the bride.

Seconds later, Brooke could feel Lucas's arms circle her waist, his body up against hers, and then his lips pressed onto her cheek.

"What were you and Max talking about?" he wondered.

Brooke turned her head toward him and lifted up a corner of her mouth. "Roman," she said. "I haven't seen him since they got back."

"He's here in the hotel somewhere."

"Yeah, that's what Max said."

"You really like that dog, don't you?"

Brooke leaned her head against Lucas's shoulder and nodded.

"What do you think about getting one of our own?"

She contemplated the idea, trying to picture a dog in their company, imagining them walking it, playing with it, etc. It made her smile but her heart wasn't completely sold.

Lucas gave her a little squeeze. "Did you hear what I said?"

"Yeah," Brooke nodded. "I, uh—"

"Minister's back!" Isabel announced.

Everyone immediately fell into line without Isabel needing to take action. Ever seen a woman manhandle a guy, do it elegantly and in a dress? Isabel would have been your woman.

They all stood in two single file lines; the women in one and the men right alongside of them. At the front, Max offered his arm to Maria.

"How you doing?"

He was prompted to ask her after recognizing that she was rather quiet and reserved, and considering all things, that was extremely strange for Maria.

"I'm fine," she nodded. She didn't keep eye contact with him for long. Her eyes went right back to the ground.

Max glanced behind him at Michael. It seemed as if he was in his own world even as Isabel was fidgeting with him to fix his tie. Michael never had much awareness. It's probably why people always perceived him to be a jerk and it's probably why he really was a jerk.

As he went to turn back around, Max caught a glimpse of Lucas and Brooke at the back of the line just in front of the bride. He caught Brooke's eye and didn't instantly look away. There was something not right. She, too, seemed quiet and reserved. Moments ago she was eager to talk to him and now she was so buttoned-up.

At least the bride looked excited and happy.


	33. Lit Up

**33. Lit Up**

In the light of the fading sun, Nathan and Haley held each other close as they shared their first dance. Every so often the sun would hit Haley's face a certain way and you could see her eyes glisten with a brightness that surely must have been the epitome of how she was feeling on the inside. For Nathan, his smile expressed how utterly happy he was. They were so captivated by each other that it truly felt like they were the only two people around.

Their wedding was perfect. Absolutely perfect. The sun was bright and warm and the humidity was surprisingly low. Everyone was in good spirits and it could be felt in the air. Nathan started things off by walking down the aisle with both of his parents. It was a little unbearable but Nathan suppressed the uneasiness and made it to the altar just fine. Max and Maria were the first of the couples to make the walk. Michael and Isabel followed. She had spent the first half of the march down trying to get Michael's smirk into a smile, a grin at the least. Eventually she gave up and as soon as she did, Michael smiled.

Lucas and Brooke were the last two to approach the altar. Brooke took her place next to Isabel at the top of the steps and Lucas, instead of standing in between Nathan and Michael, walked to a microphone off to the side just a few feet from Max. Lucas stood at the mic until Haley walked down the aisle escorted by her father. When the father handed his daughter over to her husband and the two took their spot at the top of the steps, Lucas began the ceremony with a reading from Madeleine L'Engle's _The Irrational Season_.

"_But ultimately there comes a moment when a decision must be made. Ultimately two people who love each other must ask themselves how much they hope for as their love grows and deepens, and how much risk they are willing to take… It is indeed a fearful gamble… Because it is the nature of love to create, a marriage itself is something which has to be created, so that, together we become a new creature._

"_To marry is the biggest risk in human relations that a person can take… If we commit ourselves to one person for life this is not, as many people think, a rejection of freedom; rather it demands the courage to move into all the risks of freedom, and the risk of love which is permanent; into that love which is not possession, but participation… It takes a lifetime to learn another person… When love is not possession, but participation, then it is part of that co-creation which is our human calling, and which implies such risk that is often rejected."_

From there, the minister took over and officiated the ceremony. It was traditional and straight-forward. The real highlight came from the vows; not so much in what Haley and Nathan said, per sé, but in how the two of them were when they said their vows. They were very much a couple in love and the right couple to be at that altar. Haley had gone first and was struck with a short little fit of nervous giggles but it was endearing and only added to the moment. After she regained her composure and everyone else's giggles died down, she said her vows, the delivery of which was so genuine and raw. It was clear that she spoke from the heart. As for Nathan, his siblings would agree that they had never before seen or heard their baby brother speak with such eloquence and precision and sincerity.

And just as their vows was an extraordinary moment to witness, so was their first dance. They mostly danced on the part of the dance floor that was outside of the tent. The sun cast a beautifully golden glow on Nathan and Haley, the perfect way to cap off the moment. Many of the guests stood around the outside portion of the dance floor as they watched the married couple and the rest watched from inside, like the bridal party who admired Nathan and Haley from their elevated honorary table where the bride and groom would join them later.

"I'm watching them and I can't help but smile."

Max took his attention off of Nathan and Haley and brought it to Maria standing beside him. "What's that?" he asked.

"No matter what we're all going through," Maria started to clarify, "right now all I care about is Nathan and Haley and I'm so happy for them."

Max studied her as she kept her eyes locked on the dancing couple. She had been so quiet up until now that Max suspected that maybe something was wrong. Now she confirmed his suspicions. He looked down the long table and saw Michael nursing a bottle of beer as he watched their little brother.

"Maria, what's going on?" Max asked.

She kept her eyes on Nathan and Haley. "What were you doing up in New York?"

Max looked around himself in confusion.

"Are you and Liz getting back together?"

Though taken aback, Max tried to think of an answer as he searched amongst the guests for Liz. She was a few tables away watching the first dance from behind her seat. Even after spotting her, Max didn't know what to tell Maria. Finally, Maria turned to him after receiving silence.

"Well?"

"I—I don't know," Max stammered. "We've been heading toward one direction for a while now, Maria. I don't think either of us have thought about trying to go back."

She slowly bobbed her head and then hooked her arm around his. She leaned against him, resting her head on the end of his shoulder, and went back to watching Nathan and Haley.

"I miss the idea of you two," she sighed.

"Me too."

When their dance finally ended, Nathan and Haley made their way to the honorary table amidst applause from their family and friends. They took their seats and everyone followed except for Brooke. She made her way to a microphone near the DJ and commanded the attention of the room with a cheery introduction as maid of honor. She held a glass of white wine in one hand and the microphone in the other.

"I've known Nathan and Haley individually and as a couple for a very long time and even they will admit that they don't seem like the likeliest of pairs. He's a 6'2" college basketball star and she's a 5'2" Rhode Scholar and their personalities reflect that, but it was actually because he was a jock and she was a brain that they met. They met because the hoop star needed some tutoring, and it was a good thing because Haley—even though she didn't know it—needed something to shake her life up, and Nathan was the storm to do the trick."

Brooke gave a wink to Nathan and Haley.

"From their very beginning, they needed each other, but not only that, they also wanted each other. No one ever _has_ to do anything. We always have a choice. Nathan could have decided to go with a different tutor. Haley didn't have to take Nathan on. But Nathan chose Haley and Haley—Well, Haley put up with Nathan," Brooke grinned as the crowd giggled. "And he did and she did because they wanted each other. To need someone is one thing and to want is another but to do both and to be both is a part of being in love.

"Nathan and Haley emit that love. They emit their happiness. I see their happiness but not only that, I feel it, like it's almost palpable. It's something to envy. It's happiness like theirs that seems like it would take a lifetime to achieve, but here they are, so young and now with a lifetime ahead of them to enjoy their happiness. And I envy it, yes. I hope that I'm fortunate enough to find that kind of happiness, but I guess I am lucky—already I have an ounce of their bliss because I can't help but feel so very happy for them.

"Their love and happiness is a gift to each other and a gift to us all. Congratulations, Nathan and Haley, and thank you."

Everyone raised their glasses and toasted to the blushing bride and groom. As the guests took a swig of their drinks, Max shuffled his way between tables and guests in their chairs. Brooke waited to hand over the mic rather than leaving it for him to pick up. He approached her carefully, his head slightly down.

"Thanks," he said softly. "Good job."

Brooke cordially nodded, almost mocking the nod he gave her earlier. She gave him the microphone and wished him luck before returning to her seat next to Haley.

Before speaking into the mic, Max cleared his throat and corrected his posture. He stood tall but still seemed shy and insecure. "Hi," he said, garnering everyone's attention. He told everyone his name and introduced himself as a groomsmen and as Nathan's oldest brother, a piece of information that proved to be necessary when the guests' looks of confusions disappeared. "Nathan's the baby of our family. He's younger than me by almost ten years, but I find myself looking up to him quite often. Today especially. Our brother Lucas gave a reading during the ceremony in which he said that love and marriage is the biggest risk a person can take…"

He looked at all the people in front of him, trying to connect with as many pairs of eyes as he could before glancing at Brooke at their table. Their eyes locked for a few precious seconds until Brooke looked down.

"What our brother said couldn't be more true," Max told the crowed. "It doesn't matter if you're typically an emotionally or logically driven person, when it comes to the things truly important to us, we are driven by our hearts. Our feelings, our emotions, our passion, all the things that get us through the day comes from our hearts, and in falling in love and deciding to marry, we give that, the richest part of our being, to the person we love and vow to devote ourselves to. So, yes, it is the biggest risk a person can take, but it's also the biggest one worth taking. In return, they have each other and they love each other and they know they are loved. There is no prize better than that. So I'm not surprised in the least that Nathan and Haley took that monumental step with courage and knowing without doubt that they were entrusting their heart to the right person. It takes a lot of guts."

Max looked down into his glass, watching the little cyclone he created in his wine when he swirled it. "Like Brooke, I find myself being envious of them. They have happiness. They have love. They have bravery. I am so beyond impressed by the two of them and I could not be any prouder of them than I am in this moment. To the courageous Haley and Nathan Scott."

With a nice swift swing, Max raised his glass to his brother and sister-in-law. While everyone cheered them and drank once again from their glasses, Max gave Nathan and Haley a nod. The DJ took the microphone off Max's hands and started playing music from artists like Joshua Radin, Matt Nathanson and Mat Kearney while a drove of servers appeared with trays and trays of dinner plates.

In the commotion to serve all of the guests quickly and efficiently, Max managed to slip out of the open side of the tent. He walked into the alley created by the reception tent and the catering tent. As soon as he knew he was in the clear, he wrestled his cigarette case out of the inside pocket of his jacket and lit up. After the first puff, he downed the rest of his wine and then tapped his cigarette into the glass. He watched the flakes of ash float on the remnant pool of white wine that never made it to his lips. Maybe they would tell him his fortune like tea leaves. The ashes began to clump together and eventually sank to the bottom of the small golden puddle. Max consoled himself by taking a long drag from his cigarette. At the last stretch, right before releasing a nice and easy exhale, the cigarette was snatched from the grip of his lips and fingers. The nice and easy exhale became a choking cough.

Brooke grabbed the wine glass from Max's hand and put the cigarette out by pressing it into the bottom of the glass. She shoved it back at his chest.

"You're supposed to be quitting," she told him.

Max carefully placed the glass on the ground. It toppled over on the soft grass when he stood back up but he left it lying there while he grabbed his cigarette case once again. And just like the cigarette before, Brooke snatched the case from his hands.

"Give it back."

Brooke held it behind her.

"Fine," Max shrugged. He started to walk toward the hotel.

"Where are you going?"

"I've got a pack of cigarettes somewhere in my office." He didn't even look over his shoulder to speak to her. He just continued walking away.

Brooke clenched her jaw shut as tightly as she gripped the cigarette case. "Fine! I don't care if you die or not!"

She launched the metallic case at Max's back, hitting him square between the shoulder blades. He froze still at the moment of impact and then eerily turned in place. He looked down at his cigarettes now spilled on the grass at his feet. He looked up at Brooke and shook his head.

"Nice," he said, taking a knee to gather the stray cigarettes. "What the hell is your problem, Brooke?"

"You!" She marched over to him, crouched down and startled helping him pick up his cancer sticks. She grabbed the case first and then started haphazardly tossing the cigarettes in. "You don't want to be my friend, I get that. You don't have to be such an asshole to me." She shoved the case at him like she did with the wine glass earlier.

Both of them rose to their feet. Max organized the cigarettes, lining them up and making sure they all rested the same way while he kept a single one in his hand. She watched him with disdain as he placed it between his lips and lit it.

"Why did you go up to New York?" Brooke demanded to know.

Max calmly took a deep drag like he was about to dive underwater. He turned his head and blew out a long, fast stream. "Why does everyone keep asking me that? And why does it feel like you're interrogating me?" When he looked back at her, he saw that she was waiting for an answer and if he didn't give her one, she would just ask him again. He rolled his eyes. "I went to New York because I needed someone and Liz is all I really have."

"That's not true."

"When it concerns this, it is true."

"You have me. I'm your friend."

Max shook his head refusing the idea. He took a puff. "We're not friends, Brooke."

"It can't be all or nothing with you, Max."

"Are you going to marry my brother?" He took another deep drag and again, turned his head to exhale the smoke, but he kept his eyes on her to see her reaction, to see her tell him what he needed to hear even if it wasn't what he wanted to hear.

After a huff, Brooke began shaking her head. "Stop asking me that."

"I will when you give me an answer."

She watched as he put the cigarette between his lips, near the corner of his mouth. He breathed in while he held it in place with his thumb and index finger, his hand curled around and mostly concealing the cigarette. When he pulled it away, he watched himself give the cigarette a flick, sending ashes floating to the ground. The disgust on Brooke's face wasn't from the smoke or the cigarettes. She looked at him and saw callousness and arrogance in addition to his gross habit.

Finally Brooke just slapped Max's hand and his cigarette escaped his grasp. He stared at it lying between blades of the grass and then it quickly disappeared under one of Brooke's Manolo Blahniks.

"Goddamnit, Brooke. Those cigarettes are expensive."

"They're disgusting."

"You're a real brat, you know that?"

"You're a real dick."

Max rolled his eyes and fished around the inside of his jacket. "Why are you even out here? Go back inside. Let me smoke."

"I wanted to talk to you but I don't know why I even bother. You're impossible. Like a fucking child. Why I love you, I have no idea."

She whipped around and took five steps away from him. She turned back around and walked two steps toward him. She leaned forward and opened her mouth to speak, ready to give him a piece of her mind, but there was so much she wanted to throw at him that everything got stuck in her throat. She clamped her mouth shut and spun around yet again and started to walk away. Again, she only took a few steps before going back to Max.

She stopped at his feet and took a deep breath. "Are you and Liz getting back together?" she asked calmly.

Her composure surprised Max. Suddenly his arrogance disappeared. He took a moment to think about the question and then an answer, but his thought process stopped when he studied Brooke's face. She was serene, but looking into her eyes, he saw something different.

"Wait. Are you mad at me because…"

Brooke glared at him.

"You're mad at me. You're mad at me because of the possibility that I'm trying to fix things with my _wife_? You have no right to be mad at me for _anything_."

Brooke dragged her tongue against the inside of her bottom lip as she shook her head, all to hold back tears and subdue her anger and hurt. "I have no right to be mad?" she questioned. "I have no right? I have _every_ right." There was a fury building up inside of her. Blotches of pink appeared on the pale skin of her chest, from collar bone to collar bone. "You told me you're in love with me! How was I not supposed to get pulled into you?"

"Because you're with Lucas!" Max snapped, just short of yelling. He took a deep breath as he shook his head at her, as if disappointed in her. "You're with my brother. Why didn't you just stay away from me?"

"Excuse me?"

"I own up to every part I played in all of this. I take that responsibility. I knew what I was doing, but you… You never had to go on those runs with me. You never had to stay outside on the fire escape. You never had to go along with any of it."

"Are you really blaming me right now?"

"I've been killing myself," Max went on. "Yet, here you are. You've been neglected for years and I show up like a stupid lovesick puppy and you start getting the attention that's been lacking in your life."

"Fuck you."

"You've been stringing me along, Brooke."

"That's bullshit and you know it."

"Do I?

Brooke swiped the pads of her fingers across the bottom of both her eyes, taking away the tears even before they dropped onto her cheeks. "I know what you're doing, and I hate you. I fucking hate you." She shook her head. "But you can't get rid of me like this."

She whipped around to march away but Max lunged forward and grabbed her. It was so quick and he had been so angry and frustrated that Brooke expected pain when his fingers wrapped around her arm, but there was none. There was some pressure. Of course there was. But he held her tenderly even as he pulled her back to him, their faces only inches apart.

"Then you have to tell me how," Max said to her.

"How to what?"

"How to get rid of you."

The desperation in his eyes saddened Brooke, but she refused to show it. She slapped his hand from her arm and started to back away. "I am _not _stringing you along," she said, pointing a finger and poking the air in front of him.

Max watched Brooke out of the corner of his eyes as he bit the inside of his bottom lip, resisting the urge to run after her and apologize. It needed to be this way. She needed to hate him, and it seemed to be that he really succeeded. She walked with intensity, very much like she was marching, needing to lift her legs high enough to pull the heels of her shoes out of the soft earth.

As she rounded the corner, Brooke walked past Dan. "Like father, like son," she grumbled under her breath. "Assholes."

Dan heard his son's fiancée clearly and grinned. "She really is a catch," he said once he was at Max's side.

Max rolled his eyes and proceeded to light a new cigarette. He blew a puff of smoke without turning away from his father. "Hey," he said firmly, finally acknowledging Dan's presence. "What the hell are you doing talking to Isabel about the adopting?"

Dan laughed at his son. "What? Since when am I not allowed to talk to my own daughter?"

"You were supposed to keep things quiet."

"You never made that clear."

"Yeah, well, I never thought you'd flip the switch and become so 'grandfatherly.' I mean, what are you doing gushing about grandchildren to Isabel?"

Dan stared his son down. "You and I aren't squared away, but I actually have something that resembles a relationship with your sister. It's not perfect but I plan on holding onto what we have. I'm only trying to be a father."

"Some job you've done."

"I hope your realize how hypocritical you are sooner rather than later."

"What are you talking about?"

"I think you need to get off my back about being a father when you can't even be a decent brother."


	34. Dancing Around

**34. Dancing Around**

As the evening wore on, the five-tiered wedding cake lost four of its tiers, the tables were cleared of dinner plates but covered with strewn-about linen napkins and nearly empty beverage glasses, the chairs no longer remained close to the tables but were instead pulled out and scattered around and were mostly unoccupied, and the reception tent itself accommodated only a few handful of guests, most of which were enjoying the dance floor.

After burning, or at least scorching, a few bridges, Max tried his best to keep a smile on his face and enjoy his time inside the tent, but just about every hour Max escaped the party to smoke. Halfway into the event he smoked the last cigarette in his case and made the trip to his office to retrieve the pack he had stashed away. He returned with a full case and Roman at his side. Before going back into the reception tent for another hour-long period, he stowed the mischievous dog in the now empty catering tent. Max's hour-long shifts became half-hour shifts and his time outside extended far beyond five minutes.

The moon was full and bright and the darkness wasn't really darkness at all. Max could see every individual leaf of grass around his feet. He could see the shoreline of the river fifty yards away. He could see the wedding canopy still standing in the gardens. And he could clearly see Roman run after the stick he just threw.

"Good boy," Max smiled when the dog returned.

He took the sopping tree branch from Roman's teeth and launched it into the air. His eyes stayed on his dog until he heard the grass rustle beside him. He looked at Liz with his eyebrows raised, silently asking her "What's up?"

"Nathan and Haley are getting ready to leave," she said. She grabbed the crook of his arm with both of her hands and started to pull him toward the reception tent. "And I need to get going soon, so you're going to give me one more dance."

Max playfully rolled his eyes and weighed himself down, making Liz work for the dance. Before they stepped onto the part of the dance floor that was outside of the tent, Max puckered his lips and whistled to halt his dog and grab his attention. Roman raced back over to the tent and kept close but still ventured on his own within the vicinity.

Nathan and Haley thanked the remainder of the guests, some of Haley's family but mostly Nathan's teammates who took advantage of this opportunity that allowed them to let loose and have fun. Eventually, the bride and groom made it to their bridal party to say goodbye.

For the umpteenth time that night, Haley thanked Max for the wedding and the speech he gave them. He placed a kiss on her cheek and hugged her tight before wishing her a joyful honeymoon. When she continued on to Liz and Maria, Max was left wide open. So Nathan rushed up to his oldest brother and grabbed him for a bear hug. It had to be near midnight but it surely woke Max up.

Everyone watched as Nathan and Haley walked down the hill and headed in the direction of the hotel. Out front a car was waiting to take them to the airport and in a few hours time they'd be up in the air heading to Bora Bora. They all watched until the darkest part of the darkness made it hard to see him.

Max slid his hands out of his pockets and offered them to Liz. "Care for that dance?"

With a smile on her face, she nodded. Max pulled Liz in close and started to sway to the music. A few other couples joined them; Karen and Uncle Keith, Haley's parents, one of Haley's brothers and his wife, Isabel and Alex, and then Brooke and Lucas. As soon as he spotted them, Max began turning away from his brother and his brother's fiancée. He hoped that he made the turn gradually but it was a little swifter than he would have liked and Liz caught on when she suddenly saw Brooke and Lucas in her sights.

Lucas had just claimed a spot on the dance floor and was pulling Brooke toward him. Once they got situated in a comfortable embrace, Brooke was able to see over Lucas's shoulder and thus discover Max and Liz across the floor. Liz caught her glare. She gave Brooke a kind and soft smile and then looked up at Max.

"Have you decided what you're going to do?" she asked.

"About what?"

"New York. It would be a very good distraction," Liz told him, "but it's not going to solve anything."

"I'm fine with that."

Liz spat out a laugh. "No, you're not."

While Max led their dance, he turned them in nothing more than half a circle and they swayed in roughly the spot they started in. It might have been the worst dance they've both had but this way Max could keep an eye on Roman. That's what he'd tell anyone who'd ask.

Brooke watched them remain on their side of the dance floor while she and Lucas kept to theirs. Eventually she stopped watching and leaned her head against Lucas's chest. He placed a kiss amidst her hair.

"It's funny to think that in a few months we'll be right back here but you'll be wearing white."

Brooke kept her cheek glued to Lucas's lapel.

"Hey," he said, giving her back a rub. "Did you hear what I just said?"

"Mm-hm," she hummed.

"Have you decided on flowers yet? We should go check out florists tomorrow."

Finally Brooke took her head off of Lucas's chest. "Can't. Tomorrow I'm going to Wilmington, I've got a meeting with Donovan."

"Meet with her Monday."

"What?" Brooke stood still and took her hands away from Lucas. "Don't tell me when to see her."

"Ok, I'm sorry," he half-assed apologized. He stepped toward her and pulled her back into a dancing embrace. "It's just that Monday I've got to go to Chapel Hill. I'm teaching a friend's class for the week. I'm only free tomorrow and we should probably lock down a florist soon."

"You never told me any of this. How was I supposed to know?"

"Brooke, calm down."

She stopped again, stopping Lucas with her. She looked from left to right. She needed to make sure she knew where she was because suddenly things were surreal. "I am calm," she said.

Lucas held his hands up to his chest. "You're right. I'm sorry," he apologized again.

It was so late in the day to argue. Brooke seceded even though she was the one trying to pick a fight. She rolled her eyes and left Lucas standing on the dance floor and from their side of the dance floor, Liz had watched everything unfold. She didn't really have any other choice but to see their argument. It was all she could see.

Liz continued moving with Max, but she took her hand out of his and the other off of his shoulder. She grabbed a hold of his bow tie and pulled it apart so that it was just a single piece of material hanging around his neck. She undid the top most button of his shirt and then positioned her hands where they once were.

"You should stay here for at least another week before coming back to New York, if that's what you decide to do," she said.

Since it was relatively out of the blue, Max's looked at her with confusion and left that as his reply.

"I just don't want you to run away like you always do, you know?"

"I don't always run away."

"Ho-kay," Liz doubtfully scoffed. "Look, at least take the time to tie up loose ends. Tell Isabel that you're leaving and what your plans are; take care of the dealership and the garage, and that means talking to Dan; and you should probably wait until Nathan gets back from their honeymoon so that you can say goodbye."

Max let his head drop back knowing that Liz was right.

"And if you're going to be around, you might as well organize and fix the mess that is the whole you, Brooke, Lucas situation."

"There's no fixing anything with him," he scoffed. He made an attempt to look over his shoulder but then decided against it.

"Do I have to point out that you're really not all that much better than him?"

"Low blow, Parker."

"Hey," she shrugged coolly. "I'm just calling it like I see it."

"Liz, he slept with another woman. More than once. I would never do that to you."

"I know." She bobbed her head while she wore an appreciative smile on her face. "I know that, and I'm not trying to equate you and Lucas to a tee, but the common denominator here is that you were both in love with other women while being committed to another. Look at it this way: The holes are deeper this time around but Lucas is in the same hole you've been in and Brooke's in the same hole I've been in."

"They both seem like they're comfortable where they are."

"We were too but then what happened?"

"So then what? What do you want me to do?"

"You know what I went through and you saved me. Save her."

Max stopped dancing. He still held his wife's hands and kept her close but the two of them were now simply standing on the dance floor. "Liz, why are you pushing this?"

A loud crash prevented Liz from answering and prevented their conversation from going on. They both turned their heads in direction of the commotion, thus searching the boathouse and the dock. The crash sounded like glass colliding and breaking a wall of glass. Max scanned the area starting at the river and working back toward them. At the bottom of the hill he discovered Michael pacing furiously and Maria marching away from him.

"Max?" Isabel called over. She was on the opposite corner of the dance floor with Alex. "What's going on? What was that noise?"

As Max turned to answer her, Liz squeezed his hands. "I'll explain everything to you," she said, "but don't tell Isabel it's Michael and Maria."

"What? Liz, what's going on?"

"Just don't make a big deal of this right now."

"A big deal? Liz, what—"

She widened her eyes at him and then finally took it upon herself to inform Isabel. "We don't know. Max is about to call security," she said.

"Yeah," Max finally conceded. "Just stay put. Everyone, continue dancing," he told the remaining guests. "I'll go check it out."

"Alone?" Isabel questioned.

"It's probably just a raccoon or something," Liz told her.

Isabel skeptically nodded but went back to dancing by the encouragement of her husband. Everyone else went back to enjoying party as well. Meanwhile, Liz grabbed Max by the arm and started walking him off the dance floor and to the silence of the catering tent. As soon as they neared the smaller tent, Max gave a loud short whistle. Roman came bursting through the entrance flaps. Liz bent over to welcome the dog with affectionate rubs to the head as he sat at Max's feet.

"I'm pretty sure Maria just broke up with Michael," she said.


	35. Big Brothers

**35. Big Brothers**

Max looked back down at Michael. He picked something up from the ground and catapulted it into the air toward the river. Yup. He was the suspected "raccoon."

"They broke up? How do you know?"

"Maria told me she was going to do it. She said it's been a long time coming."

"It doesn't look like Michael knew that."

Liz sighed regretfully. She wasn't sure what else to say. This wasn't her story to tell. So they stood side by side just watching Michael unleash his frustration and anger by sending rocks into the river several yards away.

"Look, Maria doesn't want anyone else to know right now because she doesn't want anyone to stop her from leaving," Liz explained. "She's coming with me back to New York."

Max bobbed his head, understanding things from Maria's perspective.

"And speaking of which…" Liz glanced down at the watch around her wrist. "It's time for me to get going."

"Do you really have to?"

Liz playfully pouted her lips as she reached up to cradle Max's face. The pout then became a soft, sympathetic smirk. "You need to be here," she told him. "At least for a little while longer, ok?"

As he nodded, Max mirrored her smirk. "Call me as soon as you get in."

"It'll be, like, five in the morning," Liz laughed.

Max shrugged like it was nothing. He gave Liz a goodbye kiss and squeezed her tight when they hugged. Despite being in a dress and in heels that dug into the grass, Liz crouched down driving her heels further into the earth to wrap her arms around Roman like she was hugging a toddler. She kissed him between the eyes before leaving the two, promising that she would ring Max when she landed after he insisted one last time.

Halfway down the hill, Liz stopped and ran back up a couple of steps and pointed toward the other side of the hill. "Look after him," she said.

Michael sat slouched at the bottom of the hill with his legs sprawled out, his back to the top of the hill where Max and Roman still stood. He wrestled himself out of his jacket and whipped it at the ground. Max knew that he needed to get down there but it was a matter of finding the courage to walk into an already blazing inferno. He didn't know what his brother was capable of. Max imagined that things could possible escalate to where Michael would possibly give a shove or maybe even throw a swing.

"You ready?" Max asked Roman.

The dog looked up at him and whimpered.

"Let's go."

Max patted the back of his head and started to walk down the hill. They eased down together and with every careful step Max said an affirmation to himself. As they neared Michael, Roman ran ahead and met Michael first. He began licking Michael's cheek. At first it seemed like Michael wanted nothing to do with the dog, but when the dog eased off the licking, Michael began giving the dog loving rubs. He looked over his shoulder to see if the dog's owner was around and sure enough he saw Max not too far behind him. He pretended as if he didn't see him and then focused his attention on Roman.

"Hey," Max said. "I was just about to take him on a walk."

Michael grumbled.

"Walk with us," Max suggested. He offered his hand and was going to keep it out there until Michael took it. "Come on."

Surprisingly, Max didn't wait very long for Michael to put his hand in his and climb to his feet. He hooked his jacket off the ground with his finger and swung it over his shoulder. Roman led the way over toward the river and the two brothers followed a few feet behind him. For the first minute they walked in silence. Michael was just keeping to himself while Max was trying to figure out how to start the conversation he already knew that his brother didn't want to have. He needed to just come out with it.

"I'm sorry about Maria," he sighed, as if it was a secret he had been dying to get off his shoulders.

Michael kicked at a dirt clod in the grass. It broke apart all over his polished shoes and sprinkled some dirt onto Max's shoes as well. He didn't apologize.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"Do _you_ want to talk about yours?"

"My what?"

Michael scoffed and continued searching for things in the grass to kick. Sometimes he just kicked anyway hoping that his foot would connect with something.

"Look," he said. "It's no big deal. She said she's done, but I know she's just blowing off steam. I'll be sleeping on the couch tonight. Everything will be fine tomorrow."

It seemed like it was a routine. Max began to wonder how frequent of a routine it was.

Except this time it wasn't going to be the same.

"Michael, Maria's going to New York with Liz tonight. In about an hour."

He stopped in his tracks and stared his brother down. Max could see something inside of Michael brewing but what exactly he didn't know. Michael scoffed and shook his head. He started walking again. He had picked up his pace and was keeping up with Roman, leaving Max trailing behind.

They soon reached the dock. Roman started down it first, sprinting all the way to the end and then back to the brothers still at the beginning of the structure. Michael began marching with fervor and intent. Max strolled behind him, letting his brother work off the steam. As they approached a few of the small speed boats, Max could see shards of glass scattered on the dock. Some of it was green. Heineken green.

At the end of the dock, Michael kicked off his shoes. Curious to find out what he was about to do, Max jogged up to him. Michael grabbed both shoes and one by one threw them as far as he could. They both landed in the middle of the widest part of the river. He grabbed his jacket and started grappling with it. He eventually pulled out something that fit in the palm of his hand. It was silver and metallic. Max wasn't a hundred percent sure but he thought it was a flask. Michael launched it into the river as well.

"Shit!" he breathed out. He had exhausted himself. "I really wish I hadn't done that."

"It's probably a good thing that you did."

Michael dropped his bottom onto the dock. His shoeless feet hung over the edge nearly touching the calm water. Max slid out of his jacket and took a seat next to his brother. After he rolled up his sleeves, he went back to his jacket and started searching inside of it. Michael watched and when he saw that his brother pulled out what he suspected, he grabbed it from Max's hand and tossed it into the river. Roman staggered back with excitement, gearing up to jump in and retrieve the now sinking cigarette case.

"Roman, no," Max said firmly. He eased the dog back over beside them and then turned to his brother and glared at him. "What the hell did you do that for?"

Michael simply smirked. "If I don't get to drink, then you don't get to smoke," he said.

"That case cost hundreds of dollars."

"Well, that'll teach you to waste your money on stupid things."

Max watched the ripples created by his cigarette case. Now how was he supposed to get through the conversation? He rubbed his forehead to ease the anxiety but he seriously considered just getting up and leaving.

"You shouldn't be smoking anyway," Michael stated.

"Is that genuine concern for me?"

Michael stared at his brother with a raised brow. "What kind of stupid question is that?" He sneered at his brother and went about taking off his socks with his toes. He let them drop into the river.

Max smiled to himself. "Ok, well, I'll quit smoking when you quit drinking."

His brother rolled his eyes and stared out at the river. For a while the two of them sat in relative silence. The only sounds they could hear came from the water; the river creeping up the shoreline and retreating back, the unbroken waves of water going in and out of the boathouse not too far behind them. Max spent some time picking up granules of sand out of the nooks and crannies of the dock and tossing them into the water right at their feet. When he could find no more, Max decided to go for it.

"Michael, why do you drink?"

The way Max asked was honest and earnest as if he was a child going through that "why" phase.

Michael stopped looking out at the river. He tilted his head back and pointed his face at the sky. The stars were so bright and distinct. They littered the sky like grains of salt. You only see the stars like that in a place like Tree Hill. Michael was proud of that fact. He was a Tree Hill boy, the son of the mayor. It'd always be his home. He'd always be a Scott. And despite certain things, he was proud of that too.

"You know," Michael started, "you might be known around the world and you're sure as hell popular around here, but people sometimes forget that you're Dan's son or it's not the first thing they think of when they see you. It's different for me. It's who people know me as. That or Isabel's little brother or Lucas's older brother or Nathan's older brother. And it just wasn't with the people of this town but to our brothers and sister too. With Dan even. Earlier I told you we don't really need that 'older brother.' Well, we don't anymore, but we did back then, when you were gone."

Max began gnawing on the inside of his bottom lip as he stared down at his lap.

"I stepped back into the role," Michael went on, "and it wasn't easy. A lot of shit happened while you were gone. So you know how it's great to unwind after a long day with a cold beer?"

His older brother nodded.

"Well, that's what I'd do. Just more frequently."

"I guess it's my fault you started drinking. If—"

"No, jackass," Michael scoffed. He shook his head in disbelief . "My God, you're vain."

Earnest and with genuine curiosity, Max questioned his brother.

"It's not always about you. You think I was angry because you abandoned us? Because, oh God forbid, now Michael is left to step up and take care of the family? Fuck no. I took care of them fine and was happy to do it. Have you not been listening to what I've been saying? At the end of the day, I just didn't know the right way to deal and I didn't know I had a problem and I didn't know how to stop, nor did I want to stop. It's about me, ya jerk."

"Michael, I'm sorry. I just wanted—"

"See, that's your problem, Max. You are incredibly self-absorbed, but you just simply don't know it because you tell yourself that you're here for us. So I'm not sure if you're aware of the fact that you haven't been around."

"Of course I'm aware of it."

"Ok, well then you have to realize that those ten years have come and gone and we've grown and lived and you missed out. You're way behind and you can't make it up. You can't make up for the past thirty years for that matter. You try to take responsibility for what's gone on with us. Cool. Good effort. Thanks. But you don't know us. You don't know who we are, who we've become. You've convinced yourself that you can make everything right in the world according to Max if you suddenly become our big brother. Bottom line: You can't. So stop trying to just jump back into our lives. You were never really in them to begin with."

Max was all for the advice and the insight but that was way too much for him to handle. Without saying a word, he snatched up his jacket and got to his feet.

"Max, stop," Michael ordered. He stayed put, still sitting at the edge of the dock with Roman right by his side. "I'm only telling you the truth. You've been needing to hear it."

Because his brother was one hundred per cent absolutely right, Max stopped. He slowly turned and walked back to Michael. He stood next to him with one hand in his pocket and the other clutched around his jacket. All he did was stare at the river for a while. Finally he looked down at Michael.

"Tell me what I should do," he said.

"Nothing other than what I've been saying to you this whole time: Take a backseat, Max. You're so pro-active. You've taken our problems and kinda just helped yourself to them as if we're hopeless and need saving. You make gallant efforts to 'help us' and none of us have really asked you to."

A thought occurred to Max. He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Michael, I have to tell you something," he groaned.

Michael gave his attention to his brother.

"In one of my pro-active attempts to help you…" Max hesitated, nervous to reveal the stupid scheme. "I suggested that Dan…" Oh, whose ass was he kissing? "I told Dan," he corrected, "to make me executor of your inheritance."

As soon the words were said aloud, Max tensed up and quickly shut his eyes. This time, he closed them tight, preparing himself for a blow from Michael. But after the sufficient amount of reaction time had passed, Max opened his eyes. Just one at first and then the other when he was in the clear. Michael was still sitting at his feet.

Michael chuckled to himself and shook his head.

"You're not mad?"

"No," Michael continued laughing. "But I am really annoyed. Why the hell did you do that?"

With slight panic and urgency and eagerness, Max told him. "Isabel and Nathan said they've tried everything with you, so what else was there to do? And yeah, now I understand that I need to take a backseat but something needs to be done before things get out of control. I mean, look, you've already lost—" He stopped himself.

"No, go ahead and say it."

Max sighed. He dropped his jacket and took a seat next to his brother once again. "I just don't want anything else to happen to you. And as far as Maria goes, she's gone, but not forever. You can get her back. It's not over."

"Is this the pep talk people gave you when you and Liz split?"

Max didn't want to answer his brother, because, yeah, it's what he heard from everyone. It was the generic, automatic response. At first, it was reassuring but when it seemed like he and Liz really were over, hearing people who didn't know the situation claim that things were going to work out was annoying to say the least. It was infuriating. Absolutely infuriating.

"Sorry," Max apologized.

Michael shrugged and leaned down toward the water. He dipped his hand in and, using his hand as a cup, started pouring water onto the tops of his feet. "You know what would help?"

"Hmm?"

He sat back up and dried his hand off by dragging it down his chest and then across his stomach. "Maybe if you told me where you went wrong with trying to fix things with Liz, I can do the opposite and get Maria back."

Max squinted at his brother and then raised an eyebrow when he realized that Michael was serious, but Max couldn't help but feel skeptical. "Have you been talking to Nathan about me and Liz?"

"What?"

"This feels like a trick to get me to talk. Nathan's been dying to know what happened between Liz and me."

"We all kind of want to know," Michael informed him. "Nathan's just more curious and eager than the rest of us. I won't tell him if that's what you're worried about."

"I don't know…" Max shook his head. "Considering what you said earlier, we've been doing an awful lot of talking about me."

"Yeah, but like earlier, I'm the one that brought it up," Michael pointed out. "So you're in the clear."

"Ok, well, what if I don't want to talk about me anymore?"

Michael scoffed. "Too bad. I've asked for advice. Are you not going to help your brother out?"

"I thought you told me to not be so helpful."

"Oh, wah," Michael whined, lethargically imitating a crying infant. "Are you really trying to have a pity party right now? You're trying to digress. Listen, know when and how to help. This is one such moment. I'm asking for help and all you have to do is provide a sufficient response."

Reluctant, Max nervously scratched the back of his head. "I don't know what advice I can give you," he offered. "Liz and me… There were special circumstances. It was a different situation."

"Did you cheat?" Michael immediately asked. "Did she cheat?"

"What? No." Max shook his head and tried to get back on track, but when he really thought about it, Lucas's predicament came into mind. "Well…Kind of," he said.

"Liz cheated?"

"No," Max quickly replied. He started shaking his head, regretting that he confessed there was any cheating going on, which wasn't exactly the case. Except it 'kind of' was. It was a obviously a slippery slope. "It was me. There was another woman," he explained, "but I never stepped out of the marriage."

Michael stared at his brother with a blank expression despite the raised brow.

Both frustrated and embarrassed, Max began rubbing his forehead. "I've only ever had sex with one woman," he admitted.

"Oh…" Michael pursed his lips together as he nodded. "Ok… But you never physically cheated on Liz, so I don't get how you two couldn't work things out."

"I couldn't get over the other woman," Max simply said. He went back to searching the nooks and cracks of the dock for little rocks. He found a couple of large grains of sand and began tossing them into the water.

Michael shrugged. "Why? Was she someone you worked with?"

"No."

"Did you see this woman everyday?"

Max shook his head.

Michael rolled his eyes and tossed his head back. "I feel like I'm playing 20 Questions here and I'm annoying myself. Just spill, Max. Who was the other woman? Why weren't you able to get over her?"

"We're supposed to be discussing you and Maria, not me and Liz."

"Well, right now I'm upset over getting dumped but you're doing me a service by taking my mind off of it and now I'm curious as hell. So, come on."

Max took a deep breath and let the exhale come slowly. "You're not going to give up, are you?"

"Do you want to be a part of our lives?" Michael asked.

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"Look, you know how I said you don't know us? Well, vice versa. I don't really know you, Max. If you want to be a part of our lives, you gotta let us into yours. So, no," Michael shook his head firmly. "I'm not gonna give up."

Max leaned over and buried his face in his hands. He could just get up and walk away. He didn't have to tell Michael, but there was a part of him that wanted to, for a number of reasons. For years he had kept everything to himself and then when he finally told someone, it was his wife, but it was his wife, so it wasn't like he could bare his soul to her to get some therapy. Now, they were at a point where that could be done, but out of respect for Liz, being that she was still his wife and would forever be his ex-wife, Max avoided turning to her unless it was sheer desperation.

Then there was the second person he told. Brooke. Talking to her sure did him a world of good.

Who else did he have? He wasn't about to consider Dan.

Letting another person into the small circle was one of the last things Max wanted. If he could, he would take his feelings to the grave. But he looked beside him and Michael was patiently waiting for his brother to answer. He had asked Max to open up. There wouldn't be another chance like this to connect with his brother.

The other benefit of having Michael to confide in was that he would get an outside perspective, which was probably what Max needed all along. Michael was bound to tell him what an idiot he was for falling in love with their brother's fiancée and that's what he needed to hear.

"You can trust me."

And then that was it. That's all Max needed.

He tilted his head back and looked straight up at the sky. He took a deep breath, expanding his chest as far as it would go, and then he let out a loud exhale, so much more louder than his admission that his brother hadn't heard him.

"What?" Michael said.

From one extreme to the next, from his head all the way back to dropped completely, Max now stared down at his lap. "The other woman is Brooke," he said a little louder this time.

Michael was literally taken aback. He scooted over a few inches and turned to his brother. He stared at him for awhile before saying anything. Max could understand the reaction. It was a big concept to grasp. So he sat there with his head down and his stare focused on his knees. He glanced out of the corner of his eyes at Michael to see that Michael had the most perplexed and confused look on his face as he stared at Roman between them as if the dog had the answers.

"Michael?"

He snapped out of his daze and brought his eyes to Max's. "Are you being serious?" he finally said.

Max barely nodded.

"Brooke. As in Lucas's Brooke?"

Again, Max dipped his chin.

"Our brother Lucas?"

This time Max glared at Michael.

"Ok," he replied, bobbling his head. "Tell me everything."


	36. Being Brothers

**36. Being Brothers **

Max told his story to his brother. He started with coming home for Isabel's wedding, telling Michael that he saw Brooke and "just knew." He explained—without going into excessive detail—that he and Liz had had problems earlier that year but were getting back on track and so he "was falling in love with two women." When Michael jokingly told him he should be so lucky, Max described how anguishing and taxing it was, so much that, for a period of time, he genuinely thought he was going insane because there was so much going on in his head. He felt as though there were two different men occupying his mind. Michael saw the tears in his brother's eyes and the smile Michael had had disappeared, replaced with a pout of pity and remorse. Max went on to explain that being in love with Brooke was the reason he never came home in the past five years, because he needed to avoid her and Lucas.

The idea—The hope was that the feelings would eventually go away. Since they didn't, the suffering persisted, Max said. He explained that it became so unbearable that he sought professional help. Consulting a shrink had worked. The therapy was helping with the thoughts that were driving him to madness, but Max was slowly becoming numb and it began to take a toll on Liz. The private sessions became couples therapy and it was then that Max was encouraged to come clean to his wife. Max recalled that Liz was quiet and couldn't look at him for the rest of the session, and even though he offered to, Liz began sleeping in their guest room. They lived like roommates but continued to go to therapy together. Over time, Liz became more understanding and accepting of who her husband had become. Max told Michael that—because of everything, because she was "so understanding and wonderful"—he realized that Liz was "the best person he's ever known" and they were worth saving. Eventually, she moved back into their bedroom after they both promised that they would put in the effort to make their marriage work.

"We managed to squeeze out a few more years," Max said, "and they were good years, but nothing in comparison to what they could have been had we both been completely in love with each other."

"So what happened?"

"It was Labor Day weekend and we had just hosted a big end-of-the-summer blowout at this beach house we rented for the summer. We had friends stay for the weekend and threw a huge party. On the last night of that long weekend, we were lying in bed talking about how we enjoyed the past few days and the whole summer for that matter, and then as our conversation started to wane, Liz calmly asked me for a divorce. So I said ok. That was it."

"Did she say why?"

"She said just couldn't do it anymore. She was done."

Michael chuckled glumly. "That's pretty much what Maria said to me tonight."

"But the difference is you can get her back."

That could be true or Max could be wishfully thinking. Michael bobbed his head imagining the possibility.

"You are going to try to get her back, aren't you?"

Michael remained silent and calm—almost Zen-like. It wasn't surprising that he was able to keep himself relatively composed even though he was more than likely absolutely drunk.

"Hey!" Max shouted at him, grabbing his shoulder and turning him. He stared into his brother's glassy eyes. "Maria's not going to be there when you get home. She'll be in New York. Do you understand that?"

Still relaxed and cool, Michael slid his brother's hand off of his shoulder and looked back at the river. "She obviously needs to get away," he replied, "and she deserves to."

"What?"

"Maria and I have been together for a long time and lately, for a while, I haven't been good to her. So she deserves some time and space. "

The older of the two checked out of the conversation for a moment and looked around himself genuinely confused. "What is going on right now? Is this real life?"

Michael rolled his eyes and ignored his brother. "Look, I'm pissed off and this hurts, but I'm not surprised, Max. Maria should've dumped me a long time ago. I love her and I want to be with her but I don't want her to be with me, or at least this drunk ass me."

Max studied his brother for a while.

Correction: Max admired his brother for a while.

"You're being really mature about this, Michael."

The younger brother smirked and boyishly shrugged his shoulders.

"I mean it," Max chuckled. "I'm feeling really proud of you right now."

Michael rolled his eyes as a smile tried to break free. "I really don't want to talk about it any more. I still got dumped after all."

Wanting to respect his brother's wish, Max went silent and let him take the reins of the conversation. After a moment, Michael glanced in his direction.

"You weren't surprised either, were you?"

A blank look was plastered on Max's face.

"You and Liz were just lying there talking about the summer and out of no where she asks for a divorce, but it wasn't really out of the blue, was it? Maybe you weren't expecting it, but you weren't surprised either, were you?"

Max took a moment to reflect. "No, I guess I wasn't," he said.

Michael bobbed his head. This was something they shared, this devastating feeling of hurt. He began to empathize. He began to connect with his brother.

"Does Brooke know?" he wondered.

After much reluctance and thoughtful consideration, Max decided to comply with his brother. "Yes," he hesitantly admitted. "I told her."

Michael laughed in disbelief. "Why would you tell her?"

Max thought back to his and Brooke's birthday lunch a few months ago. He remembered the question she posed and he remembered how it felt to be sitting across from her trying to think up an answer that wasn't the truth and not being able to.

"It's complicated," he eventually sighed.

"Try me."

Again, Max found himself in an uncomfortable position. He tried to explain what led to confessing his feelings to Brooke without going into the details that pertained to the problems that plagued her and Lucas.

"So, she wanted me to get to close to him," he said, "but there's no way that I could've. So I told her that, and she asked me why." He shook his head regretfully and let the explanation end there.

"Why didn't you just lie to her?"

Max role played and assumed the part of Brooke. "Hey, Max," he said looking at his brother, even tapping his arm with the back of his fingers. "Could you please be best friends with Lucas and find out what his deal his? No? Well, why not?"

Michael played along and took a moment to think. "Busy with work," he answered.

"So you're telling me you can't be a brother to your brother because of work?"

Max watched as Michael tilted his head to the side and fiddled with the top of his ear. Realizing he had stumped his brother, he stopped the demonstration and resumed the conversation as himself.

"Brooke would have torn up every answer that wasn't the truth, and she's relentless, you know that. She would've forced the answer out of me eventually."

Michael began nodding his head in agreement. "Well, I'm guessing she took the confession well considering you've moved back home and into the apartment above hers. What the hell were you thinking?"

"I was thinking that the constant contact and exposure to Brooke and Lucas would make the feelings go away."

"And?"

With a subtle shake of the head, Max regretfully told him no.

"So what are you gonna do?"

"When I was up in New York this week I looked at a few places," he reluctantly told his brother.

"Oh," Michael replied. He lowered his head hiding the disappointed smirk on his face. He began playing with the ears of the sleeping dog beside him.

"I just don't know what other choice I have."

"No, I understand," Michael told him. "But what if you stick it out a bit longer? Lucas has been gone. You haven't had the full on Brooke and Lucas exposure."

Max let out a heavy sigh. "That was the plan, but things have changed."

"What do you mean? Did something happen between you two?"

Even though it was a lie, Max shook his head. He could have admitted the truth and explained that something did happen. He could have bared it all and told Michael that he wanted to be with Brooke and that he wanted to fight for her and that he told her so. All of that would have meant having to explain _why_ he wanted to fight for her. It would have meant telling Michael that Lucas was cheating on Brooke.

"I just can't be here anymore," Max said. "It's too hard."

"I bet," Michael sighed, sympathizing with his brother. "Well, I know that I told you just about a million times that we don't need a 'big' brother but I hope I'm not discouraging you from still being our brother."

A smile stretched across Max's face. "No, of course not."

"Good, because you're the only piece that's missing and it's been good having you back, even if I don't show it. If you don't want to stick around Tree Hill, which I absolutely understand, you can still be with us even if you're not. Phones have proven to be pretty resourceful."

The smile grew larger.

"Whether you're in Tree Hill or not, it doesn't have to mean it's all or nothing, you know?"

Max bobbed his head in understanding and agreement. He was suddenly speechless as he admired his brother. This had been a whole new side to Michael that Max had never seen or could have imagined. It was nice, to say the least, but most of all, it was comforting and reassuring.

"You know," Max started to say, "in a way, I'm glad that I wasn't around to be the big brother."

When all Michael did was glare at him, Max chuckled.

"I'm glad because I know that I wouldn't have taken care of them like you did. You did a better job than I could have ever done. _You're _better than I could have ever been."

Michael pursed his lips, suppressing a smile, and started nodding as he turned his head to look at the water. For the next few minutes, the brothers stared out at the sedated river, pleased with what just took place between them and content with each other's company.

After a few minutes, Michael retrieved his phone and checked the time. "I better get going," he said. "There's an A.A. meeting at seven or something, so I should get home and get some sleep. Wouldn't want to show up to my first meeting looking like a wreck."

As soon as Michael stood up, both of them stared down at his bare feet. They laughed and looked out at the river as if they could see his dress shoes somewhere in the water.

"They were actually Lucas's," Michael laughed. When he reeled himself back in, he killed his laughter and smiled. "I take it he doesn't know."

Max confirmed his brother's assumption with a nod.

"Are you thinking you'll ever tell him?" Michael asked. He saw that his brother was contemplating the idea, but whether Max was leaning toward this way or that, Michael shook his head. "Don't. You can't ever tell him."

Max started to climb to his feet but froze when he saw the hand that Michael offered him. He gave his brother an appreciative smile and stood up with Michael's assistance. The two coolly strolled down the dock with Roman leisurely trotting ahead of them. They walked all the way back to the hotel in silence, the long day having taken the energy from them, but once they reached the parking lot, they used what little strength they had left to say goodnight.

Unsure of what sort of gesture he should leave his brother with, Max played it cool and offered his hand. Michael stared at it for a second before grabbing hold and giving it a squeeze. The brothers said goodnight and turned away from each other to make their respective journeys home. But after taking just a few steps, Michael quickly turned back around.

"Hey," he called out.

Max and Roman both looked over at Michael.

"For what it's worth," he started, "I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"A lot of things, but in this case, because…" Michael struggled to sufficiently explain why. As a usually quiet and tough guy, he didn't want to get too sentimental and sensitive. "Look, I'm feeling like absolute shit now that I've realized that I've lost Maria, but you've had to go through what you did with Liz and now your thing with Brooke… I'm sorry that you're in the situation you're in."

Max shrugged.

"If it helps any, it's made me realize that I can't let Maria go and I can't take her for granted."

"It does help," Max nodded.

"Can I asked you a question?" Michael wondered. "How much do you love her?"

With his eyes focused on the ground in front of them, Max took a moment to think about it. He knew how much but to describe it was quite difficult. Eventually, he shrugged. There was no definitive answer to the question. So instead, Max asked, "How much do you love Maria?"

Michael began to bob his head with absolute understanding. "I'm sorry," he offered once again. He gave his brother a tired wave and then turned slowly and walked even slower knowing that when he got home Maria wouldn't be there.

Max and Roman expected to return to an empty home as well, but they were only half right in their assumption. As they sauntered toward their apartment building, Max couldn't help but notice Lucas asleep on the bench near the entrance. Lucas's familiar scent reached Roman's nose and in excitement he nearly lunged at his owner's brother but Max quickly intercepted his dog and studied his undisturbed brother still sound asleep. He wondered if he should wake him or if he should just carefully and quietly sneak into the building.

Using the back of his hand Max tapped his brother's arm a few times. Lucas woke and when he saw Max, he quickly shuffled to sit up. He rubbed his tired, barely open eyes and saw his brother waiting for an explanation.

"I was waiting for you."

"You couldn't have done that inside?"

"Brooke wouldn't let me up. We had a fight." Even though Max didn't express any interest, Lucas explained, "It's no big deal. It was stupid."

Wanting to cut to the chase, Max emphasized his exhaustion by sighing loudly. "What do you want?" he asked.

Lucas got to his feet, not wanting to have to talk up to his older brother. "It can't be like this between us. I really don't want it to be."

Wearily, Max rubbed his forehead. The only thing he was thinking about was his bed. In his refreshingly cool, air conditioned apartment, covering his delightfully plush-yet-firm mattress was a wonderfully soft and heavenly comforter that Max could imagine curling himself into and drifting into a deeply satisfying sleep. Yet here he was standing in the summer night humidity as his feet ached in the dress shoes he had been wearing for going on 13 hours.

"Please let me hear what you have to say."

"I really don't have anything to say to you."

"Then let me know what you're thinking."

Max continued running his fingers back and forth across his forehead. He glanced at Lucas from under his hand and he honestly didn't like what he saw. The resemblance the brothers shared was in their strong jaw and the shy smiles they had, shy smiles that—if they allowed themselves to—could become wide, heartwarming and contagious grins. Other than that, there wasn't much that would explain at first, or even second, sight that the two of them were brothers. But at that moment, Max looked at his brother and could see so much of himself, so much that it became an out-of-body experience of sorts or maybe even a glance at a parallel universe with Lucas playing the role of Max. He couldn't look at Lucas knowing that he was seeing himself and he couldn't tell Lucas that that's what he was thinking.

"Max, please."

He turned away and started for the door. It was only when he couldn't see his brother anymore that he took his hand off his forehead and let his arm fall back to his side, and as soon as it did, Lucas grabbed it. He pulled Max around and had to crouch to enter his brother's eye line.

"What can I do to fix this?" he begged.

Max stayed where he stood, staring at the ground just to the side of Lucas's feet, genuinely trying to come up with an answer for his brother. He wanted to be able to figure something out for all their sakes but there was absolutely nothing coming to mind even as Max wracked his brain.

"I don't know," Max finally replied, shaking his head. "I don't know."

It was the answer Lucas was afraid of. He took a deep breath and the exhale that followed quivered. "So then what now? That's it? I've ruined everything?"

"Not just you," Max mumbled to himself as he turned away.

Lucas raced to jump in front of his brother, placing himself between Max and the doorway. "No, this can't be it," he refused. "You're my brother, Max. We're brothers."

"Please get out of the way."

"I won't."

"Lucas, move."

"Make me."

Max couldn't help but laugh. "Are you serious?"

He shook his head and sidestepped his brother. Lucas just mimicked his actions and was right back in front of him.

"What the hell are you doing?"

Roman had walked around the blond and was waiting patiently at the entrance to the building but the growing hostility happening near his owner made the dog return to Max's side.

"Hit me." It was more of a suggestion than a demand.

"What?"

"Hit me. It'll make us both feel better."

"What? How?" Max shook his head. "You're an idiot. I'm not going to hit you."

He made another attempt to go around his brother, this time colliding with him as he tried to make progress toward the door. Every step Max tried to make was matched by a backward step by Lucas. After three contended steps, Max finally drove his shoulder into his brother.

Lucas shuffled back, saving himself from falling on his ass, but then he stepped right back up to the plate and refused to let Max get closer to the doors, and this time, he pushed his fingers into Max's chest. Desperately wanting to just get inside, Max grabbed the side of Lucas's arm and forced him out of the way with as much strength as he had left. It was enough to shove Lucas a few feet and clear a path to the door. Max took a step and a half before Lucas rushed at him, grabbing his shoulders and pulling him back. It was so hard and so quick Max instantly knew that it pulled something in his back, sending a shooting pain up and down his spine. Despite the agony, Max whipped around, locked his arm into a hook and threw his fist across his chest. His knuckles connected with flesh and bone, but he definitely felt more bone than flesh.

Max unclenched his fist and shook his hand hoping that it would relieve the pain but it only made it more apparent instead. Already his knuckles were red and swelling. He hunched over and grimaced as his left hand delicately examined his right. He groaned with each exploratory squeeze. If his hand was in that bad of shape, Lucas's face must be worse. Just as he looked up, Lucas was recovering from the punch and rushing his way. Max noticed a bleeding cut on the left side of his brother's face, just below his eye. And that was the best look he would get at it.

Lucas threw himself into his brother. Both of them came crashing to the ground; part of it concrete, the other part lawn, which Max realized when the back of his head smacked against the cool blades of grass and soft dirt. The part of him that hit concrete exacerbated the pain in his back but it was only motivating him to attack.

The brothers had both gone mad from the sheer testosterone, the flurry of pent up frustrations and aggressions in each of them, and the primal urge to get revenge for each blow. They had forgotten who each other was. It became a too-long-lasting exchange of punches to any part of the body they could hit. The brothers were tenderizing each other.

Neither of them realized that Roman had been barking at them the entire time and woken many of the residents of Griffith. The man on the third floor who had leaned out his window to investigate the commotion and then quickly retreated back into his apartment was now running out of the stairwell and through the lobby to get to Lucas and Max. A neighbor on the second floor had rushed onto his fire escape and was sliding down the ladder to reach the ground. Another person followed from some other floor and the other neighbors woken by the disturbance were at their windows watching, a few with their phones to their ears.

The rescue effort, the men dressed in their wrinkled sleeping attire, made attempts to jump in and stop the fight and one man was able to—albeit slightly—lift Max off of Lucas only to receive a wayward elbow to the side of his head. So Max and Lucas managed to get in a few more punches before Lucas rolled over top of Max and was then finally pulled away by two men.

Lucas lifted his hands up in surrender even though each arm was already restrained by the two men flanking him. They still held hold of him as he tried examining his face with his finger tips. Every spot he touched resulted in a wince. When he had enough of the self-torture, he examined his hand for blood; it was there on his finger tips and around the cuts all over his knuckles. He looked down at his clothes and a concoction of blood, sweat and saliva decorated his untucked dress shirt and he could see blotches of the mixture glimmer on his black tuxedo. The sleeves to his jacket were ripped at the shoulder. The fronts of his pants were nearly shredded from his thighs to his shins and he could feel the warm, murky air tickle the raw wounds on his knees.

"Lucas?"

He spun his head around and he immediately cringed and groaned loudly. His body ached, but that's to be expected when every muscle has been pounded and beaten. The men beside him finally eased their grip. Slowly, Lucas turned the rest of his body to follow his neck and he opened his eyes to see Brooke rush to his side.

"What the hell happened? Are you alright?"

Lucas opened his mouth to speak and maybe he said something but no one, not even himself, was listening.

"Someone call 911!"

Lucas quickly spun around, nevermind that it hurt like hell to. He faced the area where he and Max wrestled and saw that his brother was still lying there. Frozen.

"Oh my God…" escaped from Brooke's lips.

The sirens were already fast approaching; no doubt that someone had called the authorities while the brothers were scuffling.

Lucas immediately fell to his knees when he reached Max's side while Brooke stopped a couple of feet away, unable to bring herself closer. She covered her mouth with her hand, breathed out another "Oh my God," and then kept absolutely still as if moving would hurt him. She even held her breath hoping that he would just come to and be ok because she had stayed still. At Max's head, Roman couldn't decide whether to stand, sit, or lie down as he whimpered. He neared his owner at a crawl only to scurry a few steps back.

The man who was to hold back Max while the other two men took Lucas away kneeled on the other side of Max. "I had him up on his feet and then he just collapsed," he said.

Lucas looked up and down Max's body. His brother's clothes were in the same terrible shape as his and covered in just as much blood, sweat and spit. The back of his hands were also covered in cuts and drying blood. And even though he hadn't seen himself in the mirror, Lucas imagined that his face looked similar to Max's; a gash in his upper lip that was widening because of the swelling, bruises along his chin, blood around the nostrils and a trail running past his mouth, puffy cheeks (his left side more than his right), and cuts here and there, an especially large one barely above Max's left eye. In a few seconds it might swell so much that it'll keep his eye shut. Jesus Christ. They did a number on each other. Not knowing what was wrong, Lucas was absolutely terrified to touch him. He carefully leaned over his brother and saw in his brother's wide eyes, through the pools of tears, that Max was infinitely more terrified. More terrified and in excruciating pain.

Max squeezed his eyes shut for a quick moment and the tears poured out the corners. When he opened them again, they weren't as wide as they were before. The left one, the swelling one, was quickly become just a slit.

"Hey! Keep them open," Lucas ordered. "Stay with me."

A couple of police officers approached the growing crowd collecting on Griffith's front lawn. They were pointed in Lucas's direction and it was easy to see that, yes, he was one of the culprits.

Brooke, still frozen, could only watch as the officers walked over and quickly grabbed Lucas, pulling his arms behind his back and snapping handcuffs around his wrists. Finally, Brooke sprang into action and rushed over.

"No, no!" she begged. "You don't understand! They're brothers!"

Behind her, the paramedics had arrived and were placing Max on a gurney. She didn't see that they were performing compressions and supplying air to him through a squeezable bag. It was a good thing that she didn't. She would have also seen Roman jogging alongside the gurney and her heart would have simply broken.

"Brooke, I'll be fine," Lucas insisted. "I'll be fine. You have to go with Max."

She half turned and barely caught sight of Max being wheeled away. One of the paramedics rode on the gurney with Max, straddling him as she continued compressions.

"I—I can't," Brooke told Lucas. She had absolute fear in her eyes. She couldn't stop shaking her head. "I can't."

"What? Brooke, you have to go with Max." When he saw that she wasn't moving, Lucas turned to one of the officers. "You have to let me go with my brother. Keep the handcuffs on, ride along with us, follow close behind… I don't care. I have to be with my brother."

After a quick discussion amongst the cops, one of them kept a firm grip on Lucas's arm and rushed him over to the ambulance. He helped Lucas up and followed. As soon as the doors were shut, the ambulance drove away, sirens blaring, lights spinning. Roman chased after it until it reached the main road and then he started running sprints up and down the parking lot.

"Miss, I'm going to need a statement," the remaining officer said to Brooke, pen in hand and a small pad of paper in the other.

Instead of answering the cop, Brooke jogged to the parking lot.

"Hey!"

The officer threw his hands up in the air and watched as Brooke ran over to the dog. When she came back he was already interviewing one of her neighbors, but he quickly wrapped up the questioning and stepped toward Brooke as she walked by.

Not slowing her stride one bit, she gave the officer her name and phone number, walked into the building, and straight into the elevator with Roman at her side. The officer had jotted the information down and settled for that much for now.

Knowing that she had no way into Max's apartment, Brooke took the elevator to the sixth floor, went into her place, helped Roman and then herself onto the fire escape, and scaled the steps to the penthouse on the seventh floor. She climbed through the window like she had done many times before and headed straight for the kitchen. Roman jumped back into his apartment on his own. Immediately, he trotted around looking for his owner, forgetting that he had just seen Max a few moments ago and, unfortunately, wouldn't see him for a while.

Brooke searched Roman's special cupboard for his favorite dog biscuits. She whistled for him to come and smiled when the clatter of his nails against the hardwood floors grew louder. The moment he saw her in the kitchen with treat in hand, Roman sprinted over, but instead of leaping onto Brooke, Roman came to a sliding stop at her feet, finishing in a sitting position.

The adorable obedience of Roman made Brooke laughed. She crouched down in front of the caramel colored dog and offered him the biscuit. He pressed the end of his muzzle into her hand but didn't take the treat. He pulled back and simply whimpered. Brooke took a seat on the cold tile floor and wrapped her arms around him and, in return, he leaned into her. Brooke quietly cried as she embraced the dog she loved.


	37. Heart Matters

**37. Heart Matters **

Brooke showed up to the hospital the picture of strength and support for her fiancé and future in-laws, but inside she was hurting, dying.

By the time she arrived, Max had been in the ER for ten minutes. She met up with Isabel, Alex, Michael and Dan in the waiting area, and Lucas was walking through a pair of hospital swinging doors with his chaperoning police officer behind him. The officer left the hospital while Lucas joined his family. The only sound to come out of him was a groan when he hugged Brooke. He sat next to her silently, just looking down at his taped up hands. She noticed stitches and tape on his swollen face and some cotton stuffed up each nostril. It wasn't a pleasant sight. She didn't care to study it for long. Isabel battered him with a barrage of questions; why the hell did he look the way he did, did Max look the same way, why were the police involved, what the hell happened to Max, why didn't he walk out like Lucas did, and so on. Brooke sat next to him wondering all the same and worrying about what the answers would be and she was left worrying and then agonizing when Lucas decided to remain silent.

Half an hour later, a doctor came out and informed the family that they managed to stabilize Max enough to move him to the OR for emergency surgery. It was his heart, and they won't know anymore until they repair the damage and then submit Max for tests. The doctor said what he needed to say and then rushed off.

That had been hours ago, or maybe just an hour. Brooke wasn't sure how long exactly. She had stopped checking the clock and eventually lost track of time. It felt like an eternally long time. An unbearably long time. And during that time there was nothing but constant fear and worry running through her mind and, understandably, even more terror than when she saw Max lying on the grass back at Griffith. If she had allowed herself to cry, she wouldn't have been able to stop.

It was a tasking feat to keep her tears in but it helped that she preoccupied herself with assisting her family, even Dan. After they all moved up to the cardiology floor, Brooke went off and got everyone coffee, bringing back only a few packets of sugar and little tubs of creamer on purpose so that she could waste time running back to gather more. Later, when Dan realized he had forgotten his heart medication, Brooke offered to go to his place to pick it up, and on the way back, she stopped by Lucas's to grab him a change of clothes.

Staying busy allowed Brooke to keep herself together for her family, who were trying but failing. She returned from her errands to calm disarray. Dan was hounding everyone at the nurses station for information, Michael was doing a bit of reconnaissance work on his own by exploring the floor, Alex and Isabel, even though she was crying, were on their phones, and Lucas was sitting quietly by himself in the waiting area.

The damage to his face didn't frighten Brooke anymore even though it was progressively getting worse. There was more swelling and the bruises were getting darker, especially around his nose and left cheek. It must have hurt to just breath but Lucas showed no sign of being in any pain or even discomfort. He simply stared.

"Hey," Brooke said as she sat next to him. She placed the duffel bag she carried onto her lap. "I brought you some clothes."

Lucas glanced at the bag and then went back to boring holes into the chair in front of him with his eyes. The way he glared frightened Brooke.

"Lucas, what happened?" she asked.

No response.

Brooke moved the bag to the empty chair next to her and stared at her hands folded in her lap. She began to fiddle with her engagement ring, continuously spinning it around her finger. She could feel the tears reaching her eyes. Quickly, she shook her head and looked up at the ceiling. Yup, that did the trick. For now anyway.

"Did we get in touch with Nathan and Haley?"

Lucas nodded.

"So they're on their way back?"

Another nod.

"How about Liz?" Brooke asked without hesitation. "Were we able to reach her?"

This time, Lucas shook his head.

"Ok. I'll try again."

As she got up and walked to the other side of the room, Brooke finally looked at the time. It was nearly 4AM. Liz's plane had to have landed in New York by now but five rings into the call and Brooke grew worried. Liz needed to be here. Max would want her here.

And just when Brooke thought the voicemail would pick up, she heard Liz's tired voice instead. She had never been more excited to hear her.

"Liz! Oh, thank God," Brooke breathed in relief. "We've been trying to reach you. You have to come back." She swallowed the lump in her throat. "…Max is in the hospital."

"What?"

"We don't know what happened but it's his heart…" Her voice cracked. She had to stop and compose herself. After a deep breath, she continued. "I—It's his heart and they had to take him into surgery. You need to be here."

"O—Ok," Liz stammered. Her panic was evident. "I—We just got off the plane. Maria and me. Maria's with me." She started blabbering.

"What's going on?" Brooke heard Maria say.

"Max is in the hospital," Liz told her. "Brooke, we'll leave on the next plane out. I—I don't know when that'll be. Shit."

"There's one leaving in half an hour, going into Raleigh," Maria said in the distance. "We have to hurry."

Brooke could tell that they started hurrying.

"We'll be there soon," Liz said.

"I'll send a car to pick you guys up at the airport."

"Thank you, Brooke."

"Of course."

"Hey, Brooke?"

"Yeah?"

"How bad is he?"

Tears surfaced instead of words. She shook her head and looked up at the ceiling. It didn't work this time. Her tears spilled down her cheeks. She suddenly couldn't stop picturing Max lying on the grass, his eyes wide with fear and pain.

"Brooke?"

She only hummed a response, or squeaked. She wasn't sure.

"He'll be ok. I'll see you soon."

The call ended but Brooke still held her phone to her ear, using it to obscure her face from her family's view. She took a seat and as covertly as she could, she tried to dry her face and stop her tears. It took more swipes than expected and the tears continued even though she felt as though she was composed. After a few too many tries, Brooke finally pulled herself together and returned to Lucas. He still hadn't moved and the duffel bag remained untouched two seats over.

"You need to get out of those clothes," she said to him.

He didn't move an inch, but he did finally speak. "When he was on top of me, I shoved at his chest, and when I was on top of him, I know I punched his chest a few times. I…" Lucas clenched his jaw shut and shook his head. "I hit him…" he said through his teeth. "I hit him and I hit him and I hit him."

Brooke sank into the chair next to him. The tears she worked so hard to hold down and keep off of her face were returning.

"I made him come at me and he did. I wanted him to hurt me and he did." Lucas closed his eyes as he replayed their fight in his head. "But every time he threw a punch, I sent one right back to him." He opened his eyes and continued staring straight ahead. "I don't know why I was fighting back. I had no good reason to. I wanted him to hit me. I wanted him to hurt me."

"Lucas, what…" Brooke didn't know which of the many questions on her mind to ask until one just escaped her lips. "Why?"

"He didn't want to forgive me."

"I don't get it. So you made him hit you?" Brooke shook her head in confusion. "Lucas, I don't understand. You have to tell me everything."

Just as he was about to finally place his eyes on her, Lucas's eyes darted in the opposite direction spotting Nathan and Haley run into the waiting area.

"What's going on?" he demanded to know. "Where's Max?"

Isabel was still on her phone when she saw her baby brother. She ended her conversation mid-sentence and rushed over, throwing her arms around him, sobbing into his chest.

"Isabel, what is it?" Nathan questioned.

Coming from the nurses station, Dan approached with something new. "Max just got out of surgery. A doctor should be coming to see us soon."

The popular response was sighs of relief but that feeling didn't last long. When they saw a doctor approaching them, all concern and worry returned to their pale faces. The woman in scrubs tried to keep her head up during her walk over but her eyes kept drifting to the ground.

"Hello," she said.

When she reached them she was finally able to look at them, but you couldn't have gathered anything from her eyes. Her tone was hard to read but her delivery was relaxed. No hint of urgency. Hopefully it was good news.

"I'm Dr. Patel," she went on. "I'm the cardiothoracic surgeon on Max's case."

"It's nice to meet you. How is he?" Isabel asked immediately.

"Max suffered a heart attack, which was the initial problem…"

Brooke knew that everyone focused on "_initial_," realizing there were other problems.

"He went into cardiac arrest…"

A few gasps.

"We were able to resuscitate and stabilize him, but in doing all that work on him there was a weakened spot in his aorta that burst."

Dr. Patel gave the name of the condition but no one heard what she had said or listened to her as she explained the details of it. Bottom line: Max's aorta burst. The body's main artery burst. It _burst_.

"Now, an aortic aneurysm is something that develops over time due to a number of reasons, in this case, Max's smoking and possibly his HCM, and if—"

"Woah. Hold on," Michael requested. "He doesn't have HCM. He told us he didn't."

And when everyone heard the words come out of Michael's mouth, they all realized they had been duped.

"It seems as though that's another good thing to come of this heart attack then," Dr. Patel said.

"What do you mean? What's the other good thing?"

"If Max never had the heart attack, no one—not even himself—would have known about the aneurysm until it was possibly too late."

"So is he ok now?"

"The burst led to an internal bleed and because we caught it early, we were able to stop the bleeding and repair the aorta. He's recovering in the ICU." Before anyone could react and ask to see him, the doctor went on. "_However_, those are just the complications we encountered when we were stabilizing Max. We have to see if there was any heart damage as a result of the heart attack."

"And?" Michael demanded to know.

"We're waiting for the results," Dr. Patel calmly replied.

Nathan stepped forward. "Is he ok or not?"

"He's stable."

"So can we see him?"

The surgeon was reluctant but she gave a nod. "I can only allow two at a time and only for a few minutes."

Isabel, Nathan, and Lucas immediately stepped forward to follow Dr. Patel.

"I want to see him," the youngest of them begged.

Michael reached forward and put his hand on the inside of Nathan's elbow. "Let them go first," he said.

Lucas and Isabel were already following Dr. Patel into a hallway. After they disappeared around a corner, everyone else returned to the chairs in the waiting area, except for Nathan, he stayed by the nurses station, staring down the hallway, waiting for Lucas and Isabel to return.

"Hey," Michael said as he took the seat next to Brooke. "Nathan and Dan are gonna go next. Then you and me, ok?"

He gave her a small smile when she looked at him and the tears rushed to her eyes. She quickly wiped them away and mouthed "Thank you" to Michael, unable to vocalize the actual words. Then she stared down the hallway, waiting for her turn.


	38. Heart Broken

**38. Heart Broken**

More than an hour passed until Michael and Brooke were finally allowed to see Max. Isabel and Lucas's visit lasted maybe five minutes and then Nathan and Dan went in for their turn. Brooke watched the clock the whole time and around the fourth minute, the father and son returned, ushered by a male nurse.

Max suffered a setback according to the nurse. He said that he didn't know anymore than that and that doctors were working on him. He explained everything in a rush and then ran back into the hallway, disappearing around a corner. A couple of hours later, just as Brooke was about to break down, fearing she wasn't ever going to see Max, the same male nurse returned with good news. Well, good news considering. The nurse reported that Max was stabilized again and underwent more tests, more of the same tests, and when the results came in, they would hopefully have a better idea of Max's condition. He asked for the next pair of visitors and led the way to Max's room.

With a hand on her back, Michael eased Brooke inside. It was fairly dark, the only source of light being a fluorescent tube attached to the wall just above the head of the bed. It lit all of the hospital equipment and highlighted Max's battered face.

"Jesus Christ…" Michael whispered.

He walked closer to his brother while Brooke remained by the door, but even from there, several feet away, she could see the condition of Max's face. Just above his left eye was a thick cut held shut with stitches. The area around it was so swollen that even if he was conscious, there would be no opening that eye by his own will, and the color of his skin on and around the swelling was blue and a deep purple. On his chin were bruises that matched. In his mouth was the tube that supplied him oxygen from the ventilator and then Brooke remembered that Max wasn't in the hospital because of what happened to his face.

Max's chest was bare save for a few nodes with wires attached that led to some of the machines. Amidst the nodes and wires, a long, thin scar ran down the middle of his chest, starting just below where his collar bones nearly met and ending at the top of his abs. Though it was clean and didn't appear to be painful, and even as it lie amongst the bruises that were scattered about his torso, it was the scar that was the most unnerving and horrifying thing to see.

"What the hell happened?" Michael wondered aloud.

He studied the scar and all the bruises as his hand found Max's. When he felt the cuts on his brother's knuckles Michael quickly snatched his own hand back. Brooke could hear him gulp. He slowly backed away and then turned around determined to reach the door.

"Wait, where are you going?"

"I have to talk to Lucas. I need to find out why my brothers look like shit."

Brooke started to follow but Michael immediately stopped her.

"Please stay," he said. "He would want you to sit with him. I'll walk back to the others slowly and hopefully that'll be enough time before Isabel comes barging back in for a second go."

He gave what was almost a smirk and placed a comforting hand on her elbow and Brooke realized he knew everything.

"Michael, wait."

He grabbed the door frame and pulled himself back into the room.

"I'm not sure Lucas knows that Max is, um… Is in…" Brooke was embarrassed to say it.

"Ah. Don't worry about it. I gotcha."

"Thank you, Michael."

He nodded nobly and left the room.

Brooke waited for the door to shut before she began slowly placing one foot in front of the other. The closer she got, the more detailed Max's injuries became. She could see where the purple part of his bruises met the blue. Some of his cuts glimmered with flesh blood. His chest rose and fell in rhythm with the machine beside him. With his surgery scar, Brooke wondered if it was painful to just breathe even if he wasn't breathing on his own. Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, she wouldn't find out the answer anytime soon.

Afraid to disrupt the bed with any of her weight, Brooke searched the room and found a stool. She wheeled it over to the right side of Max not wanting to have to look at the more damaged part of his face. Looking at his swollen left eye made her eyes tear as if she could actually empathize with his pain. When she sat down, she didn't even spend much time studying anything else but his arm. It was wrapped in a cast, from his scraped knuckles to the middle of his forearm. The only part that was exposed were his fingers, so she placed the pads of her fingers under his and let her thumb run over each of his nails.

"I hope it's ok," she said softly, "but I didn't put Roman in his kennel before I left. He went to your room and fell asleep on your bed. There was no moving him."

Brooke let out a little scoff and finally looked back up at Max's face. She sighed to herself, shaking her head.

"What happened?" she asked him.

The tears rushed up to her eyes and started falling without warning.

"I am so sorry," she said calmly. She swiped away the trail of tears like they were gnats. "So, so very sorry. I should've talked to Lucas. He and I should've… He and I should've fixed things."

Brooke delicately curled her hand around Max's fingers. "I'm so sorry."

The sound of the door latch made her quickly pull her hand away. She placed it in her lap as she watched the door carefully open.

Liz stepped into the room and Brooke got to her feet.

"Hi," she said with a small, small smirk, hoping that it would comfort Max's wife.

Liz cautiously entered, her eyes already watery. "How is he?" she asked. She started to walk over, froze still, and then hurried to his side. "Jesus! What the hell happened?"

"He and Lucas got into a fight."

"With each other?"

Brooke nodded.

"Over you?"

Even though Liz's tone was that of concern, Brooke suddenly felt responsible and guilty. Responsible, guilty, and embarrassed.

"I—I guess so. I—I don't know," she stammered. "All I know is that Lucas apparently started the fight, but I think Max hit him first? I'm not sure. They were fighting on the front lawn of Griffith. I came down and saw Lucas being pulled off of Max and then Max just…"

"How is he now?" Liz wondered. She stood next to the bed, holding his left hand.

"He's stable," Brooke replied as she bent down and lifted the stool by its cushion.

"Put that down."

Brooke looked at her with confusion.

"Were you planning on leaving?"

"Um… Well, yeah."

"You don't have to go. Sit," Liz insisted.

Brooke put the stool back on the ground but remained standing feeling that it would be rude of her to sit while Liz stood. For a good while, the two women just watched Max as he slept, if that's what you could call it. The rhythmic pumps of the ventilator ticked away the seconds that passed. Brooke felt that a minute had gone but realistically estimated that it was probably actually just 30 seconds of silence between them.

"Did anyone tell you what the doctors did?" she asked.

Liz shook her head and listened as Brooke explained everything. She tried to repeat as much of what Dr. Patel had said earlier, but that had been hours ago, she was sure that she had forgotten some of the details. Every so often, Liz glanced at her while she spoke but for the most part she watched Max. Brooke kept her eyes on Liz and off the man who wasn't hers.

"I'm so sorry, Liz," Brooke said at the end.

"What do you have to be sorry for?"

"I feel like I'm responsible for everything; for their fight, for what happened between you two…"

"Brooke, you don't have to feel responsible for anything, so you certainly don't have anything to be sorry for."

"But I'm the reason why they fought and why—"

"Not because of anything you did but because of who you are," Liz chuckled. "Because you exist, and you can't possibly be sorry for existing."

"No, I guess not. But—"

Liz smirked as she shook her head. "No 'buts.' I don't blame you for anything. Max doesn't blame you for anything."

Immediately Brooke was reminded of yesterday and her fight with him outside the reception tent. He did blame her and he had been right. Brooke could feel the tears coming. She turned away just as they were about to spill.

"Brooke, wait! What's wrong?"

She stopped, but not because Liz called after her. Through the window in the door, Brooke could see that Dr. Patel and the whole family were about to join them. Brooke quickly dried her eyes as everyone came in.

"Mrs. Evans?"

"Yes?" Liz replied.

The doctor came forward and introduced herself and then she brought Liz up-to-date, giving her all the details that Brooke forgot. When Dr. Patel started spurting new information, everyone came in closer to listen.

"Max requires another surgery."

Isabel began to panic. "You're going to open his chest again?"

"Eventually, yes," the doctor replied. "Mrs. Evans, if I could speak to you privately."

"Whatever you need to say, you can say it in front of them."

Dr. Patel cleared her throat and nodded. "We've discovered significant damage to a valve in Max's heart. We're going to have to replace it. The issue is: Max is still recovering from the first surgery. So, there is the possibility that, if we take him into the OR now, he might not be strong enough to make it through. However, if we don't replace the valve soon, I'm afraid it'll induce more stress to his heart, which he will not be able to handle or recover from."

Michael scoffed. "So you're telling us that if undergoes the surgery, he could die, and if doesn't, he could die?"

"What does the surgery entail?" Alex inquired.

"Well, we'll go in the same way we went in with the first surgery," Dr. Patel tried to delicately explain, "but this time we're not stopping a bleed or patching up the aorta. We're going to actually operate on the heart."

"This is open-heart surgery we're talking about."

"Yes, we'll stop it and—"

"Stop what?" Nathan demanded to know. "His heart?"

Dr. Patel nodded confidently, maintaining professionalism despite the worried group growing slightly mad out of fear. She explained something about a heart-lung machine and then went into the details of the procedure, but Brooke couldn't bear to listen anymore. Instead, she observed everyone around her and allowed her thoughts to muffle the sound of the doctor's voice.

Isabel, too, had stopped listening and was sitting on the couch in the corner. She bit her nails like she had been doing all night. There probably wasn't much left to chew on. Alex eventually joined her and held her hand but he continued to look at the doctor and listen. Haley simply stood next to Nathan as he stood with his arms tightly crossed in front of his chest. She placed a hand on his upper arm and gave comforting rubs but he didn't seem to notice. The rest of the men, like the others, focused intently on the doctor, taking mental notes. Dan and Michael listened with particular interest, aware that having all of the information was infinitely better than not. Lucas took the knowledge in differently. More fearfully. The impending surgery terrified him.

Maria had gone to Liz's side, hugging her arm. Liz paid careful attention to the doctor but it was clear that she was having difficulty grasping the whole situation. She nervously fiddled with her hands and the worry was clear in her eyes.

"Valve replacements are not uncommon," Dr. Patel explained. "They've practically become routine. I've done several."

Dan scoffed. "How many of those patients have died?"

"You don't have to answer that," Nathan told the doctor.

He joined his family in glaring at Dan and then they all returned their attention to the doctor.

"Actually, none," Dr. Patel answered. "I understand everyone's concerns. Whether we do the surgery now or later, it's risky because of Max's condition, but I'm confident in my ability to perform the procedure. So it just has to be decided when we do it."

"If he needs the surgery, he should have it right away," Isabel reasoned.

Dan shook his head and threw in his two cents. "No. He just got out of surgery a few hours ago. We should wait."

Dr. Patel stayed focused on Liz. "Since Max is incapable of making the decision, Mrs. Evans, as his wife, you have to decide. Would you like for him to have the surgery now or would you like for us to wait until he gets stronger?"

"I'd like for Max to be ok," she sighed. "How long would we have to wait?"

"We won't know until he's at that point."

"And who knows how long that could be," Michael said.

Liz shook her head. "I don't know what to do."

"You can discuss it with your family," Dr. Patel told her, "but ultimately, I have to hear the decision from you. I'll give you some time to think about it."

The group of people behind the doctor parted and made way for her to leave the room. As soon as the door shut, everyone began voicing their opinions.

"He needs the surgery now."

"Max might not be strong enough."

"What if he has a heart attack while we wait?"

"What if he has a heart attack on the table?"

All the noise was grating. Brooke couldn't imagine how Liz must have been feeling. She looked absolutely distraught, an incredibly daunting decision hanging over her head.

"Hey, are you ok?" Brooke asked her while everyone continued arguing behind her.

Liz bit the inside of her lip as her eyes watered, and then she tried the trick Brooke used, she looked up at the ceiling and shook her head. Brooke took that as her answer.

"Let's give Liz some time alone," she announced to the group.

"No, not until we figure this out," Nathan retorted. "This has to be a family decision."

"She's his wife. She—"

"It's ok, Michael," Liz interrupted. "Nathan's right. What do you each think?"

Isabel and Michael voted that Max have the surgery right away, and after Liz insisted that everyone needed to vote, Alex and Maria went with the votes of the people that connected them to this family. Dan demanded that they wait. Nathan agreed, so Haley did as well. Lucas, though silent the whole time he stood in the room, went with the option of waiting.

"I'm the reason why he's so weak," he struggled to explain.

"We don't know that," Michael insisted.

"We have to wait until he's stronger. Please."

The vote was split. Four to go. Four to wait. Liz looked to Brooke.

"What do you think?"

"No. Please," Brooke begged. "Don't make me decide."

A tear dropped from her eye and kissed her cheek before falling to the ground. She didn't even try to hide it. She didn't have the strength to bother anymore.

Michael lowered his eyes when he saw the tear fall. "Let's give Liz time to think about it," he said to everyone. "Come on."

He herded everyone out of the room. Thankfully, no one tried to stay and convince Liz to go this way or that way. There was no arguing, no debating. They all understood the weight of the situation and were pleased and thankful to voice their opinion but also grateful they didn't have to make the final decision. After the arguing and the voting, they had realized that whatever was decided was going to be an immense risk regardless.

At the back of the pack, Brooke was slowly reaching the door, and just as she was about to exit Liz grabbed her arm.

"Stay with me."

Brooke eyed the group heading down the hallway and looked back into the room at Max. "Wouldn't you rather have Maria? I don't want to keep taking up time you should have with him, alone."

"I don't know what to do," Liz cried.

Brooke didn't know Liz very well. They had only met a few times. But Brooke's perception of Liz was that of a faultless, wonderfully beautiful, intelligent and strong woman. She couldn't even imagine Liz crying, but here she was in front of her, water in her eyes and a lip that quivered when she took a deep breath. Brooke teared up.

"I—I don't know what you want me to say."

Liz started to get rid of her tears, rubbing the back of hand across her eyes. "You've got to choose," she said.

Brooke's mouth dropped opened. "What? Why me?"

"Look, I have to make this decision because I'm Max's wife, because the law says so, but if this happened a couple of months from now instead, it would be an entirely different story," she spoke quickly, urgently. "They wouldn't give a shit about what I had to say. I'm responsible for the choice because of legalities, but it should be the responsibility of the one person important to Max, the person who has his love and returns it. I'm not trying to dump the decision on you just so that I don't have to make it. I just think you're the one that…" She took a deep breath. "I just think you're the one for him. Do you get what I'm saying?"

Brooke nodded.

"I will love Max for the rest of my life but I don't love him like you do. Not anymore. So you take precedent over me, Brooke. You have to be the one to decide."

"Liz, I—"

"Brooke. Do you think Max is strong enough?


End file.
